Colitis

What it means

Colitis refers to an inflammation of the colon and is often used to describe an inflammation of the large intestine (colon, cecum and rectum). Colitides may be acute and self-limited or chronic, and broadly fit into the category of digestive diseases.

In everyday care

Most people with this sign do not have a rare disease — it appears in common conditions far more often. These general reference pages cover the same topic:

Rare diseases that can present with this14

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category