How Best to Manage Ulcerative Colitis Flare-ups

Ulcerative colitis is a condition which affects thousands of people across the UK. Luckily, many people with ulcerative colitis flare-ups receive advice and treatment, meaning the condition has minimal impact on their quality of life.

This doesn’t mean flare-ups are completely avoidable though. Depending on whether you have proctitis, distal or total colitis, a flare-up may have different effects on the individual. Knowing how to recognise and manage these effects is very important.

In this short blog post, we will discuss what happens during a flare-up and how best to alleviate problems when it does.

Ulcerative Colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel condition. Someone with the condition will always have it but won’t always have symptoms. A flare-up occurs when symptoms essentially reappear after a period of well being.

Sadly, we are not at a stage in research where the exact reason for a flare-up can be identified. But flare-ups may occur during times of stress, after certain drugs such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, or be triggered by a gut-infection, to name a few

When you start to have a flare-up, you may experience a variety of symptoms. These can include:

• Stomach pain
• Frequent diarrhoea, including at night.
• Tiredness for no evident reason
• Loss of appetite
• Rectal bleeding
• Weight loss.
• Mouth ulcers
• Pain in the joints
• Redness on the skin and some swelling
• Eye irritation

Are these symptoms a definite sign someone has a flare of ulcerative colitis?

No. These symptoms  overlap with other gastrointestinal conditions such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. You can read more on the difference between ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease on our Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) page.

Can a flare-up be serious?

The vast majority of flare ups can be managed at home with medication meaning it is rare to need hospital admission. However, if someone gets a fever or severe abdominal pain, or excessive bleeding then they should attend either their Dr surgery or see their specialist.

The first thing to do if a flare up occurs is to make sure you are eating a healthy diet which is low in fibre and contains plenty of water. Avoiding dairy products and cutting down carbohydrates may also help. The vast majority of people will requite adjustments to their medication, so you should seek medical advice from your GP or specialist.

Someone can visit a clinic like the new Digestive Health Centre at OneWelbeck in London, meet with a specialist, and have tests carried out to provide a clear diagnosis.

For patients who already know that they have ulcerative colitis, it is possible to have your history reviewed and some diagnostic procedures carried out to see if any treatment options may be of benefit.

No one should have to think of flare-ups as something that become part of daily life. The team at OneWelbeck Digestive Health work with patients looking to get treatments for a number of gastrointestinal conditions.

You can see the main conditions we help with here, but if you want to speak with someone about ulcerative colitis, we are here to help. Please get in touch by leaving a message on our contact page, or by calling us directly on 0120 653 2004.