When a person suffers from colitis, it means that the inner linings of his or her colon are going through intense inflammation. There are many reasons that can contribute towards causing colitis. You can suffer from colitis if you have diarrhea, some colon infection, or even Crohn’s disease.
How to detect if you have a case of colitis? For that, you would need to pay attention to the symptoms of the disorder. Some of the common symptoms of colitis are belly cramps, constipation, a serious case of diarrhea, rectal bleeding, and loss of appetite.
Ulcerative colitis is one of the most hugely found colitis today. If you are suffering from ulcerative colitis, the inner linings of your colon and the digestive tract will have sores or ulcers. You must know that these ulcers did not appear here overnight but developed over a certain period.
So, how can you calculate the probability of you having colitis? You can do that by studying the risk factors that contribute towards causing colitis. Here are some risk factors for disease that you must know:
Genetic factors
Believe it or not, you may have colitis if your parents or sibling have a history of suffering from colitis. It is observed that around 20% of the population, who suffer from colitis, have at least one close relative who has a history of colitis. So, know your parent’s medical history to get a fair idea of your chances of developing colitis because of hereditary reasons.
Ethnicity and race
As surprising it is to know about the genetic factor, it is equally surprising to know that your ethnicity and race too might be among the risk factors for colitis. It is observed that Caucasians are at a high risk of developing ulcerative colitis than the rest of the world. However, the people of the Ashkenazi Jewish descent are at a major risk as they are known to have been associated with colitis for a long time.
Immunity factors
Another theory says that people who have a malfunctioning or weak immune system might be suffering from colitis. Our immune system tries its best to fight the foreign bacteria and viruses that try to enter our body. While attacking these foreign elements, sometimes our body attacks the cells of our digestive tracks leading to the inflammation and ulcer.
Age
Though a person can suffer from colitis at any point in his/her life, it is observed that the onset of colitis is seen mostly between 15–30 years and then again between the ages of 50–70. While many people may suffer from the onset of colitis before the age of 30, some might not experience it till they cross 60 years of age.
Environment
It is noted that the environment too can be one of the important risk factors for colitis. Modern world problems like urbanization and industrialization are some of the reasons why people living in the city are at a higher risk of developing colitis than those living in a natural setting.
Diet
Eating a lot of processed food might not necessarily be one of the risk factors for colitis, but if you have colitis and have an unhealthy diet, then it might make your situation worse. Spicy food too might aggravate your agony, so it is better to stay clear of spicy food till you recover from colitis.
Though there are no specific cures for this type of colitis, a lot of doctors these days are considering alternative therapies along with the regular over-the-counter drugs. These alternative treatments might not take away the pain, but they succeed in distracting you from the pain.