Ulcerative colitis overview

About UC

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) characterised by chronic inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract¹, affecting the colon and rectum². Both UC and another type of IBD, Crohn’s disease, are debilitating and chronic relapsing conditions^1,3. In contrast to Crohn’s disease, which involves patchy lesions scattered throughout the GI tract and inflammation across all layers of the bowel wall, the inflammation in UC is usually restricted to the mucosal layer and causes superficial damage to the bowel wall².

With a peak onset between 30 and 40 years of age, UC typically presents with bloody stools and diarrhoea, accompanied by urgency, faecal incontinence and fatigue⁴. Severe disease can present with fever and weight loss⁴.

The burden of gastrointestinal symptoms and faecal incontinence associated with UC can have a substantial impact on many aspects of patient quality of life⁴

Learn more about the worldwide prevalence of UC, the substantial burden faced by people living with UC on a daily basis, and how it can impact quality of life.

Most patients experience a mild-to-moderate disease course at diagnosis, involving varied periods of remission or mild activity⁵. Approximately 10–15% of people with ulcerative colitis (UC) experience a more aggressive course of disease, with a cumulative risk of relapse of 70–80% at 10 years⁵.

Discover more about the extent of disease and severity of UC, and how they can inform management of people with UC

Listen to expert opinion on challenges and unmet needs in ulcerative colitis (UC), how they impact people with UC and how their condition is managed, and learn more about how some of these needs are being addressed in clinical trials

The pathophysiology of ulcerative colitis (UC) involves intestinal barrier dysfunction, a dysregulated immune response and altered gut microbiota, and is influenced by genetic and environmental factors²

An overview of UC pathophysiologic is provided in Figure 4.

Discover key aspects of UC pathophysiology – particularly those that relate to current and investigational therapeutic targets in UC