Severe Symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis
If your
ulcerative colitis is more serious, you may have severe symptoms. These serious symptoms can include:
- Diarrhea six or more times a day.
- Frequently noticing blood or mucus in your stool.
- Severe cramps.
- Other symptoms or complications. For example, fever and weight loss are more common in people with severe ulcerative colitis.
There are a few warning signs you should be aware of that mean you need urgent medical attention.
Contact your healthcare professional immediately if you experience any of these ulcerative colitis symptoms:
- Greater-than-usual amounts of bloody diarrhea, or diarrhea that occurs more than six to ten times a day
- Severe abdominal pain (stomach pain)
- Abdominal swelling
- Fever
- Unusual fatigue or weakness
- Heavy bleeding when you have a bowel movement
- A bowel movement that contains only blood clots
- A groggy and disoriented feeling.
These may be warning signs of complications or a severe flare-up of the disease, and you may need to be hospitalized for treatment.
One of the more serious complications of ulcerative colitis is called "toxic megacolon." This complication occurs when the large intestine stops working and expands suddenly. This can cause it to bleed excessively, or even rupture -- which can be dangerous.
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