The symptoms of ulcerative colitis may include:
- Diarrhea or rectal urgency. Some people may have diarrhea 10 to 20 times a day. The urge to go to the bathroom may wake you up at night.
- Rectal bleeding. The disease usually causes bloody diarrhea and mucus. You also may have rectal pain and an urgent need to empty your bowels.
- Belly pain, often described as cramping. Your belly may be sore when touched.
- Constipation. This symptom may develop depending on what part of the colon is affected. Constipation is much less common than diarrhea.
- Loss of appetite.
- Fever. In severe cases, fever or other symptoms that affect the entire body may develop.
- Weight loss. Ongoing symptoms, such as diarrhea, can lead to weight loss.
- Too few red blood cells (anemia). Some people get anemia because of low iron levels caused by bloody stools or intestinal inflammation.