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Ischaemic colitis

Colitis ischaemica · Ischemická kolitida

What it is

Part of the colon starved of blood — usually the left side, in older people with narrowed arteries — causing sudden pain and bloody diarrhoea.

Symptoms & signs

  • Sudden cramping pain on the left
  • urge to open the bowels
  • bloody diarrhoea within a day
  • tender belly
  • fever if severe

🚩 Get help if…

  • call 112 / 911 now Severe belly pain out of proportion to the belly feel
  • call 112 / 911 now Heavy bloody diarrhoea with dizziness
  • call 112 / 911 now Fever, a rigid belly or confusion
  • see a doctor soon Sudden cramps and bloody diarrhoea in an older person

Where it strikes

Medical treatment

  • CT and colonoscopy
  • bowel rest and fluids
  • antibiotics in moderate or severe cases
  • surgery for gangrene or perforation
  • treat heart rhythm and blood pressure

Natural & lifestyle

  • No smoking
  • keep hydrated, especially in heat and exercise
  • avoid constipation

Emerging & experimental

  • Vasodilator infusion
  • blood markers of bowel ischaemia

Alternative, off-label & anecdotal

Approaches used outside the guidelines, with what their supporters report and what testing has found so far.

  • Garlic and ginkgo for circulation — anecdotal; they add bleeding risk anecdotal / traditional
  • Omega-3 — supports vessel health; untested here early / small studies
  • Probiotics — anecdotal anecdotal / traditional

ICD codes