Quality of life after surgery for ulcerative colitis

Surgery for ulcerative colitis is only done in people with severe disease. Most of the people who have their colon removed to cure severe ulcerative colitis say their quality of life is better after surgery than it was before. Their symptoms of abdominal pain, urgency, and frequent bowel movements go away, and their lives no longer revolve around the bathroom.

• One study found that quality-of-life scores of people who had proctocolectomy with ileostomy were similar to those of the general population.¹
• A study that followed people with inflammatory bowel disease for up to 6 years found that those who had ileoanal anastomosis for ulcerative colitis rated their quality of life much higher after surgery than before it.²