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Pathology of the Gastrointestinal Tract pp 669–674Cite as

Ulcerative Colitis

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Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Pathology ((EP))

Synonyms

Colitis ulcerosa

Definition

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory process of the colon, beginning in the rectum and extending proximally in the colon. This inflammatory process is continuous and normally limited to the mucosa. In case of pancolitis, the inflammation may involve the first centimeters of the ileum, the so-called backwash ileitis. Rarely, a left-sided colitis is associated with an area of inflammation in the caecum, named the caecal patch.

The pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis is not fully elucidated. It is a multifactorial process, in which besides genetic factors, other factors such as the innate immune system and environmental factors, in particular the intestinal flora, play a role. Genome-wide association studies have shown that in ulcerative colitis, numerous genes are involved. These genes are responsible for different functions such as the maintenance of epithelial integrity, innate immune function, immune regulatory function, and in cellular...

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References and Further Reading

  • Danese, S., & Fiocchi, C. (2011). Ulcerative colitis. The New England Journal of Medicine, 365, 1713–1725.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fenoglio-Preiser, C. M., Noffsinger, A. E., Stemmermann, G. N., Lantz, P. E., & Isaacson, P. G. (2008). Gastrointestinal pathology. An atlas and text (3rd ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Geboes, K. (2009). What histologic features differentiate Crohn’s disease from ulcerative colitis? Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, 14, S168–S169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Magro, F., Langner, C., Driessen, A., Ensari, A., Geboes, K., Mantzaris, G. J., Villanacci, V., Becheanu, G., Nunes, P. B., Cathomas, G., Fries, W., Jouret-Mourin, A., Mescoli, C., de Petris, G., Rubio, C. A., Shepherd, N. A., Vieth, M., & Eliakim, R. (2013). European consensus on the histopathology of inflammatory bowel disease. Journal of Crohns and Colitis, 7, 827–851.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Odze, R. D., & Goldblum, J. R. (2009). Surgical pathology of the GI tract, liver, biliary tract, and pancreas (2nd ed.). Philadelphia: Saunders/Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ordas, I., Eckmann, L., Talamini, M., Baumgart, D. C., & Sandborn, W. J. (2012). Ulcerative colitis. Lancet, 380, 1606–1619.

    Article  Google Scholar 

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, University Hospital Antwerp, Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650, Edegem, Belgium

    Ann Driessen

  2. Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands

    Ann Driessen

Authors
  1. Ann Driessen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ann Driessen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Medicine of Porto University, Centro Hospitalar São João and Ipatimup/i3S, Porto, Portugal

    Fátima Carneiro

  2. Serviço de Anatomia Patológica, Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa de Francisco Gentil, Lisbon, Portugal

    Paula Chaves

  3. Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal

    Paula Chaves

  4. Department of Pathology, Ankara University Medical School, Sihhiye, Ankara, Turkey

    Arzu Ensari

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Driessen, A. (2017). Ulcerative Colitis. In: Carneiro, F., Chaves, P., Ensari, A. (eds) Pathology of the Gastrointestinal Tract. Encyclopedia of Pathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40560-5_1546

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40560-5_1546

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-40559-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-40560-5

  • eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine

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