Mercy Gastroenterologist Dr. Matilda Hagan Discusses Diagnosis and Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis is one of two types of inflammatory bowel disease. Crohn's disease is the other one.

The symptoms of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's are very similar, and they resemble other, less serious conditions like irritable bowel syndrome.

According to gastroenterologist Dr. Matilda Hagan of The Institute for Digestive Health and Liver Disease at Mercy Medical Center, the symptoms to watch for include abdominal pain, an urgency to go, fever and weight loss, but a tell-tale sign a person has ulcerative colitis is bloody diarrhea.

"Certainly, the blood is a big tip off. And then the other part of it is, some people may wake up at night from sleep with the urge to have a bowel movement. That's also a big sign that it's something perhaps more serious that requires investigation," Dr. Hagan said.

Dr. Hagan noted that  ulcerative colitis is diagnosed with a colonoscopy and is treated with various classed medications, depending on the severity of the disease.

To view Mercy gastroenterologist Dr. Matilda Hagan’s interview regarding diagnosis and treatment of ulcerative colitis, click here.