Ischemic colitis (patient information)

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Ischemic colitis

Overview

What are the symptoms?

What are the causes?

Who is at highest risk?

Diagnosis

When to seek urgent medical care?

Treatment options

Where to find medical care for Ischemic colitis?

Prevention

What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?

Possible complications

Ischemic colitis On the Web

Ongoing Trials at Clinical Trials.gov

Images of Ischemic colitis

Videos on Ischemic colitis

FDA on Ischemic colitis

CDC on Ischemic colitis

Ischemic colitis in the news

Blogs on Ischemic colitis

Directions to Hospitals Treating Ischemic colitis

Risk calculators and risk factors for Ischemic colitis

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-In-Chief: Lakshmi Gopalakrishnan, M.B.B.S. [2]

Overview

Ischemic colitis is a sudden swelling (inflammation) of part of the large intestine (colon) that occurs when there is a temporary loss of, or reduction in, blood flow to the colon.

What are the symptoms of Ischemic colitis?

What causes Ischemic colitis?

Ischemic colitis mainly affects people over 50. Many of them have a history of peripheral vascular disease.

Who is at highest risk?

Risk factors include:

Diagnosis

When to seek urgent medical care?

Call your health care provider if you develop symptoms of ischemic colitis.

Treatment options

  • Treatment for mild ischemic colitis often involves:
  • Antibiotics
  • Liquid diet at first
  • Fluids through a vein (by IV)
  • Pain medications
  • Severe ischemic colitis that leads to gangrene is treated with:
  • Antibiotics
  • Replacement of blood volume
  • Surgery to remove the affected bowel area

Where to find medical care for Ischemic colitis?

Directions to Hospitals Treating Ischemic colitis

Prevention of Ischemic colitis

Being aware of your risk may allow early diagnosis and treatment. Absolute prevention may not be possible.

What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?

  • Most cases of ischemic colitis are mild and will improve on their own. They do not need surgical treatment.
  • The death rate is high when gangrene occurs because there is not enough blood supply.

Possible complications

Resources

Medlineplus

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