| Ischemic colitis is caused by obstruction of blood flow to the large intestine. In these cases formation of blood clots and deposits of fatty material, called artherosclerosis, leads to chronic blockage of the colon. This causes damage to the lining and inner layers of the wall of the large intestine, resulting in ulcers. Ischemic colitis affects primarily people who are 50 or older, specially those with peripheral vascular disease. Patients with ischemic colitis are likely to have low blood pressure, history of stroke or congestive heart failure or abdominal radiation exposure. Diabetic patients also show an increase risk of ischemic colitis. General indications of this disease include abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, bright red blood in stools and diarrhea. Ischemic colitis is very much like coronary artery disease. Both conditions are caused by decreased blood flow, one in the heart and the other in the colon. A person experiences abdominal pain generally on the left side of the abdomen. The person frequently passes loose stools that are accompanied by dark red clots along with a low-grade fever. The abdomen remains tender when pressed gently and this is one of the first symptoms of ichemic colitis. A colonoscopy or barium enema is necessary to distinguish ischemic colitis from other forms of inflammation, such as an infection or inflammatory bowel disease. People with ischemic colitis are hospitalized. In order to rest the intestines only intravenous fluids, electrolytes and nutrients are administered to the patient. Antibiotics are often given to prevent infection that might follow the inflammation. After a few days, antibiotics are usually stopped and eating is resumed. More than 50% of the people affected by ischemic colitis improve and recover over a period of 1 or 2 weeks. However, when the interruption to the blood supply is more severe or prolonged, the affected portion of the large intestine may have to be surgically removed. The disease can be fatal when gangrene occurs as a result of reduced blood supply. Previous Article | Next Article If you enjoyed reading "Ischemic Colitis", you may also be interested in the rest of the articles in our comprehensive series on: Colitis Or, browse our master article archive for a listing of all main topics. We would like to thank the researchers, authors and contributors of Ischemic Colitis. Here is some more information and links that may also help you in the exploration of the topic "Colitis": Colitis provides detailed information on Colitis, Ulcerative Colitis, Colitis Symptoms, Ischemic Colitis and more. Colitis is affiliated with Crohns Disease Diet. |