Proctitis

Proctitis is inflammation of the lining of the rectum, called the rectal mucosa. The rectum is the last portion of the digestive system. (Read about "Digestive System") Proctitis can be short-term (acute) or long-term (chronic).

Proctitis has many causes, including but not limited to:

• medical treatments like radiation therapy or antibiotics (Read about "Radiation Therapy" "Antibiotics")
• diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease (Read about "Ulcerative Colitis" "Crohn's Disease")
• sexually transmitted diseases (Read about "STD's")
• rectal injury
• bacterial infection (Read about "Microorganisms")
• food allergies (Read about "Food Allergies")
• malfunction of the nerves in the rectum (Read about "Nervous System")

The most common symptom is a frequent or continuous sensation or urge to have a bowel movement. Other symptoms include constipation, a feeling of rectal fullness, left-sided abdominal pain, passage of mucus through the rectum, rectal bleeding and anorectal pain. (Read about "Constipation" "Gastrointestinal Bleeding")

Physicians diagnose proctitis by looking inside the rectum with a proctoscope or a sigmoidoscope. (Read about "Flexible Sigmoidoscopy") A biopsy (a tiny piece of tissue from the rectum) may be removed and tested for diseases or infections. (Read about "Biopsy")

Treatment depends on the cause of proctitis. For example, the physician may prescribe antibiotics for proctitis caused by bacterial infection. (Read about "Antibiotics") If the inflammation is caused by Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, the physician may recommend the drug 5-aminosalicyclic acid or corticosteroids applied directly to the area or taken in pill form. There is a warning concerning corticosteroids however. The National Institutes of Health say anyone using corticosteroids should talk to their doctors about taking supplemental calcium and vitamin D to reduce the risk of osteoporosis. (Read about "Calcium" "Vitamins & Minerals" "Osteoporosis")