Article: Proctitis

Proctitis is an inflammation of the rectum.

Symptoms

Symptoms are ineffectual straining to empty the bowels, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, a feeling of rectal fullness, left-sided abdominal pain, passage of mucus through the rectum and anorectal pain.

Causes

Proctitis is invariably present in ulcerative colitis and sometimes in Crohn's disease. It may also occur independently (idiopathic proctitis). Rarer causes include damage by irradiation (for example in radiation therapy for cervical cancer) or as a Sexually-transmitted infection, as in lymphogranuloma venereum and herpes proctitis. Proctitis is also linked to stress and recent studies suggest it results from an intolerence to gluten.

Treatment

By looking inside the rectum with a proctoscope or a sigmoidoscope doctors can diagnose proctitis. A biopsy is taken, in which the doctor scrapes a tiny piece of tissue from the rectum, and this tissue is then tested. The physician may also take a stool sample to test for infections or bacteria. If the physician suspects that the patient suffers from Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, colonoscopy or barium enema x rays are used to examine areas of the intestine.

Treatment for proctitis varies depending on severity and the cause. For example, the physician may prescribe antibiotics for proctitis caused by bacterial infection. If the proctitis is caused by Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, the physician may prescribe the drug 5-aminosalicyclic acid (5ASA) or corticosteroids applied directly to the area in enema or suppository form, or taken orally in pill form. Enema and suppository applications are usually more effective, but some patients may require a combination of oral and rectal applications.