The colon is a portion of the large intestine in the form of a muscular canal that carries food waste to the rectum. The colon is divided into four sections, which are: the ascending colon that extends upward on the right side the abdominal cavity, then it connects to the transverse colon that extends through the cavity to the opposite side, then this part meets the descending colon that descends to the left side where it meets the fourth part, which is the rectal colon . The length of the human colon is about 1.5 meters, and its function is to absorb water and minerals from food waste. His strong muscles perform both contractions and extensions and then push the waste products into the rectum. The mucus coating the inner surface of the colon makes it slippery and facilitates the passage of waste products.
Dr. Ayman Langawi, a consultant general and oncologist at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Jeddah, says that colitis is a disease that results in irritation of the colon or other parts of the large intestine.
There are three main types of colitis: ulcerative colitis, amebic colitis and mucous colitis.
Regarding ulcerative colitis: Dr. Ayman Langawi says that this type of colitis affects people between the ages of twenty and forty years, and doctors do not know the causes of this type of inflammation, but many of them believe that nervous tension and other psychological factors may exacerbate the aggravation. Suffering from this disease.
A patient with ulcerative colitis usually has severe diarrhea, accompanied by fever and bleeding from the rectum. And when the inflammation increases, ulcers arise on the lining of the colon, causing wounds. Drugs often help reduce inflammation, but colectomy may be needed in severe cases. As for chronic infections, the possibility of cancer is high, so many doctors recommend surgery if the disease lasts for more than ten years.
As for amebic colitis: it occurs when eating food or drinking water contaminated with a specific type of parasitic amebiasis. Symptoms include cramps and severe abdominal cramps, in addition to diarrhea and fever, and deep sores may form in the colon that are severe and lead to perforation, creating what is known as peritonitis, which is a disease that affects the peritoneum (the thin membrane that lines the abdominal cavity), which is a disease that may lead to death . The peritoneum becomes inflamed if the bacteria attack it or if an object or foreign substance provokes it. And peritonitis is either acute or chronic. And the second type of it, i.e. the chronic, lasts for a long time and can cause tissues to grow inside each other, which leads to the intestine not functioning properly. Chronic peritonitis is common in patients with tuberculosis.
Doctors treat this type of infection with drugs, and in most cases there is no need for surgical intervention unless a perforation occurs.
And about mucous colitis, Dr. says. Ayman Langawi, it is also called "spastic colon" or rapid irritation. It occurs as a result of muscle spasms in the colon wall. The patient may have bouts of severe colic and his stool contains mucus, but without blood. There is no infection mentioned and the patient’s general health is not affected. Doctors use special drugs and diets to get rid of symptoms.
Advice for people with colitis: You should stay away from substances that contain fibers when colon crises occur, but after the condition subsides, the patient can use bread and oats that contain fiber.
Reducing fats and oils as well as fried foods in oils.
Peeling all kinds of fruits that the patient eats, even if they are grapes, and we advise against eating them on an empty stomach.
Foods that cause digestive problems and lead to colitis should also be monitored, and avoided as much as possible.
As well as staying away from foods that cause allergies.
And finally, the periodic review of the doctor to conduct a diagnostic or therapeutic endoscope if the situation requires it
