Colitis vs. Ulcerative Colitis

[aweitzm1]

Is there a difference between Colitis and Ulcerative Colitis?

My father just told be he has had colitis for years and has been on medication for it. (not sure of the medication name but I know it is not a biologic or anything I have heard of on this forum)

I have Crohn's disease and trying to figure out if I inherited it as I know it can be genetic.

Can someone have colitis long term and it not be ulcerative colitis? And if so what is the difference?

He is not good with giving information so asking him won't work.He would just make something up that he thinks the doctor told him.

 

[ronroush7]

As far as Crohn's disease, it can be genetic but doesn't have to. I could be wrong but I think colitis and ulcerative colitis are the same thing.

 

[Scipio]

UC and CD are different but closely related diseases. Susceptibility to either one can be increased by the some of the same genes, although neither disease is strictly genetic in the same sense that say eye color is.

"Colitis" means simply inflammation of the colon and can occur in either CD or UC. By definition, UC always includes colitis. But CD may or may include inflammation of the colon.