A 20-year-old woman has a 3-4 month history of bloody diarrhoea; stool examination proved negative for ova and parasites; stool cultures negative for clostridium, campylobacter and yersinia; normal small bowel series; edema, hyperemia and ulceration of the rectum and sigmoid colon seen on sigmoidoscopic examination. Select the most likely diagnosis:

Answer options

1. Zollinger-Ellison syndrome
2. Ulcerative colitis
3. Granulomatous colitis
4. Gastroenteritis
5. Carcinoid syndrome

Explanation

A 20-year-old woman has a 3-4 month history of bloody diarrhoea; stool examination proved negative for ova and parasites; stool cultures negative for clostridium, campylobacter and yersinia; normal small bowel series; edema, hyperemia and ulceration of the rectum and sigmoid colon seen on sigmoidoscopic examination. Select the most likely diagnosis:Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the colon and rectum, which develops starting from the rectum. Symptoms include bloody diarrhea, pain during defecation, rectal, and sigmoid colon ulceration.