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Defining Your Condition
Ulcerative colitis (UC) medical terms you should know
If you have been diagnosed with UC, you may find it helpful to review some of the medical terms below. These are terms your doctor may use and it is important to understand them as you discuss your UC with your doctor.
Flare/Flare-up: Anytime you experience any UC symptoms is called a flare or flare-up. A flare-up can last days or weeks and can recur at any time. Flare-ups often happen suddenly. The symptoms can include (but are not limited to):
- more frequent bowel movements—patients with "severe" UC disease may have more than 10 bowel movements daily
- increased blood and/or mucus in your stool
- abdominal pain and cramping
- rectal bleeding
- urgent need to go to the bathroom
Remission: The goal of UC treatment is to attain and maintain the remission of symptoms in order to provide an improved quality of life.
- Remission means living life without symptoms for a period of time
- Remission can span months or even years; however, symptoms can eventually return
Disease Severity: Whether a patient's disease is characterized as "mild," "moderate," "severe" or "fulminant" is determined by a patient's symptoms and by laboratory tests and specialized procedures that enable a doctor to look directly at the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
- Mild Disease—signs and symptoms may include fewer than 4 stools daily, with or without blood
- Moderate Disease—signs and symptoms may include more than 4 stools daily, low-grade fever and some anemia (a condition that can cause weakness, pale skin and general tiredness)
- Severe Disease—signs and symptoms may include more than 6 bloody stools daily, fever, rapid heart rate and anemia
- Fulminant Disease—signs and symptoms may include more than 10 bowel movements daily, continuous rectal bleeding, fever, rapid heart rate, anemia, abdominal tenderness and bloating
Active UC: Tell your physician if you have experienced a flare or any symptoms since your last visit. Active UC means that you are experiencing symptoms. Once you are used to living with UC, you may feel that milder symptoms do not disrupt your life. However, in order to know whether your treatment is effective, your doctor needs to know exactly what symptoms you are having and how often.
Maintenance Therapy: After a flare-up of UC is controlled, a doctor may recommend medicine to be used as a maintenance therapy. The goal of maintenance therapy is to keep the patient in remission as long as possible.
It is important for you to discuss all symptoms with your doctor. Even if you are not currently having a flare, make an appointment with your doctor. It is important for you and your doctor to understand how your condition affects you, and whether your current treatment is working for you.
Challenges of Ulcerative Colitis
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You should not take Lialda if you are allergic to salicylates (including mesalamine or aspirin) or to any of the ingredients of Lialda. Tell your doctor if you have a stomach blockage or are allergic to sulfasalazine. Mesalamine has been associated with a syndrome that may be difficult to distinguish from an ulcerative colitis flare-up. If you experience cramping, abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, fever, headache or rash, talk to your doctor immediately. Some patients taking mesalamine have reported heart-related hypersensitivity reactions, such as inflammation of the heart muscle and inflammation of the lining of the heart. Tell your doctor if you have problems with your liver or kidneys. In worldwide clinical trials, Lialda was generally well tolerated. The most common adverse events were headache and flatulence. As with other medications, some serious side effects may occur. Less than 1% of patients experienced inflammation of the pancreas, which led to discontinuation of therapy with Lialda. Please see Lialda Full Prescribing Information Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe | For Health Care Professionals
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