Mercy Gastroenterologist Dr. Matilda Hagan Discusses Diagnosis and Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis
August 8, 2017
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.
View Mercy gastroenterologist Dr. Matilda Hagan’s interview regarding diagnosis and treatment of ulcerative colitis.
About Mercy
Founded in 1874, Mercy Medical Center is a university-affiliated medical facility named one of the top 100 hospitals in the U.S. by Thomson-Reuters with a national reputation for women’s health. Mercy is home to the nationally acclaimed Weinberg Center for Women’s Health and Medicine as well as the $400+ million, 20-story Mary Catherine Bunting Center. For more information visit Mercy online at www.mdmercy.com, Facebook, Twitter or call 1-800-MD-MERCY.
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