Treat Lymphocytic Colitis Before It Turns Into Colon Cancer
Lymphocytic colitis is a kind of inflammation of the bowel that affects the colon. The doctors conduct biopsy to detect the disease. In this process, the piece of the tissue is removed from the lining of the intestine. Lymphocytic colitis shouldnt be confused with Ulcerative Colitis which is a more severe form of inflammation. Lymphocytic colitis is also known as microscopic colitis which means that there are no signs of inflammation on the surface of the colon when viewed with a colonoscopy. That is the reason why a biopsy is required in the case of lymphocytic colitis.
The symptom of the disease include chronic, watery diarrhea without blood, abdominal pain and cramps. However, there are times when you dont show any kind of symptoms. The causes of the disease are not exactly known by doctors. However, they feel that a virus or bacteria and their toxins may be responsible for the inflammation of the colon. Some scientists think that the disease maybe the result of autoimmune response, which means that the immune system of the body destroys the healthy cells for no reason.
Lymphocytic disease are often diagnosed in people of the age between 60 and 80 years. There are also cases reported in people younger than 45 years and even in children. It is equally found in men and women. The diagnosis for this type of colitis is made after the samples of tissue are taken during colonoscopy and are examined under the microscope. Several tissues from different areas of the colon need to be tested. The reason for this is that the colon is characterized by a band of protein called collagen, a little larger than the normal. Its thickness of the band varies. In lymphocytic colitis, the tissue samples show an increased number of the white blood cells also called as lymphocytes, between the cells and the colon.
Reduction of the fat in the diet and minimization of caffeine, lactose and painkillers is recommended for this ailment. The precautions still don't suffice and proper medications should be taken to control the symptoms. Anti-inflammatory medicines and steroids are used to minimize the inflammation. Steroids are recommended only for the purpose of reducing the occurrence of diarrhea and the intake should be controlled to avoid their side effects. There may be extreme cases of the disease and for those, doctors can suggest removal of the colon through surgery. This can be avoided as long as the colitis is treated before it becomes colon cancer. These treatment methods vary depending on the severity of the case. Usually, the lifestyle changes are recommended initially and then the treatment further moves on to medicines, steroids, and drugs etc. The last option is performing surgery. With these important facts pertaining to lymphocytic colitis, it is important to determine at the outset as to what the course of action should be so that there is no scope for delay in its treatment.
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