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Diagnosis of Ulcerative Colitis
What do test results show with active ulcerative colitis?
Diagnosis requires blood and stool tests during an active phase.
Blood Test -Hemoglobin to look for anemia and elevated white cell count. An elevated ESR or erythrocyte sedimentation rate along with an increased white cell count is a pointer to an acute inflammation.
Stool test - will have to be done to rule out infection due to parasites, worm infestation and so on.
Colonoscopy using a flexible endoscope - that will enable the doctor to look into the colon and study the affected areas and do biopsy of the ulcers if necessary.
Sigmoidoscopy is very useful in early as well as in mild cases. Findings of inflammation interspersed with ulcers are very suggestive of ulcerative colitis. A biopsy can be taken to the study the tissue and confirm the diagnosis as well as rule out other causes of bleeding and painful defecation.
Barium enema was traditionally done to make a diagnosis, but endoscopies have now superceded it.
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Sure thing, he has a difficulty digesting foods. Has anyone ever heard of Habba Syndrome? (We all Habba syndrome at one time or another – Ha! Forgive the cheap pun.) Habba Syndrome was first described by Dr. Saad F. Habba, as a condition in which chronic diarrhea is associated with abnormal activity and excess bile being released by the gall bladder. Dr. Habba (who checks out – he's got his bona fides in order) first described and attached his name to the syndrome (which was published) in the early 2000s. It is different from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, as it doesn't present with abdominal pain and generally improves with fasting. Treatment is usually a course of bile acid binding agent therapy, and some of them are generic – so it might not run you payday loans to treat it, if you get diagnosed.