What is the Difference Between Colitis and Proctitis

The key difference between colitis and proctitis is that colitis is a medical condition that affects the colon of the large intestine, while proctitis is a medical condition that affects the rectum of the large intestine.

Gastrointestinal diseases or illnesses affect the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, which runs from mouth to anus. Some well-known examples are celiac disease, constipation, Crohn’s disease, diarrhoea, vomiting, gastritis, gastroenteritis, acid reflux, colitis, and proctitis. Therefore, colitis and proctitis are two gastrointestinal illnesses. Moreover, both these conditions can affect parts of the large intestine of the gastrointestinal tract.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Colitis  
3. What is Proctitis
4. Similarities – Colitis and Proctitis
5. Colitis vs. Proctitis in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Colitis vs Proctitis

What is Colitis?

Colitis is a gastrointestinal tract condition. It is known as the inflammation of the colon. The colon is the main part of the large intestine. There are different types of colitis. Some are due to bacterial infections from food poisoning, which are easy to treat. Others are inflammatory bowel diseases, which are chronic and more difficult to treat. Moreover, colitis is more serious when it doesn’t go away and affects the quality of life. The symptoms of this condition may include abdominal pain, bloated stomach, diarrhoea, mucus or blood in the stool, loss of appetite, weight loss, nausea, vomiting, fever, fatigue, anemia, dehydration, malabsorption, or malnutrition.

Colitis can be caused by bacterial infections such as parasitic or bacterial infections (Salmonella,  E. coli, and C. difficile), food intolerances, lack of blood supply, autoimmune diseases, genetics, environment, radiation therapy, and due to side effects of colostomy. The complications resulting from colitis may include perforation, toxic megacolon, increased risk of colon cancer, and other inflammatory diseases.

Colitis can be diagnosed through medical history, physical examinations, blood tests, stool tests, imaging tests, endoscopic tests such as colonoscopy and flexible sigmoidoscopy, and colon biopsy. Furthermore, treatment options for colitis may include medications such as antibiotics to treat infections, corticosteroids to treat inflammation, immune modifiers to control autoimmune response, aminosalicylates to manage inflammatory bowel disease, diet (high in fiber), and surgery.

What is Proctitis?

Proctitis is a gastrointestinal tract illness that affects the rectum of the intestine. The rectum is a part of the large intestine of the digestive system. It connects the colon to the anus. Proctitis is a medical condition that results in the inflammation of the tissue lining the inner part of the rectum. Proctitis can be caused by inflammatory bowel disease, sexually transmitted infections, gastrointestinal infections, infant food protein allergies, radiation therapy, side effects of colostomy or ileostomy, anorectal trauma caused by a foreign object or chemical inserted through the anus, and abnormally high levels of white blood cells.

Moreover, the common symptoms of this condition may include anorectal pain, pain in the left section of the abdomen, blood or mucus in stool, swelling or fullness in the rectum, tenesmus (feeling the need to have bowel movement continuously), difficulty or painful bowel movements, constipation, and diarrhoea. The complications resulting from this condition include neuropathy, excessive bleeding, anemia, stricture or stenosis, neurogenic bladder dysfunction, numbness, tingling or burning sensation in lower limbs, and erectile dysfunction.

Proctitis can be diagnosed through questionnaires, medical history, physical examination, digital rectal exam, anoscopy, blood test, stool test, rectal culture, proctoscopy, tissue biopsy, and flexible sigmoidoscopy. Furthermore, treatment options for proctitis may include discontinuing things that cause inflammation,  antibiotics or antivirals to manage infections, immunosuppressants for autoimmune responses, sulfasalazine or mesalamine for ulcerative colitis or proctitis, infliximab for Crohn’s disease-related proctitis, topical corticosteroids for inflammation, sucralfate enemas for rectal ulcers, and endoscopic procedures to reduce gastrointestinal bleeding.

What are the Similarities Between Colitis and Proctitis?

• Colitis and proctitis are two gastrointestinal illnesses.
• Both these conditions can affect parts of the large intestine of the gastrointestinal tract.
• Both these conditions can be caused by bacterial infections, radiation therapy, side effects of colostomy or ileostomy, etc.
• These conditions may show similar symptoms, such as diarrhoea, blood or mucus in the stool, abdominal pain, etc.
• Both these conditions can be diagnosed through medical history, physical examination, imaging test, blood test, stool test, and endoscopic procedures.
• They are mainly treated through specific medications and surgeries.

What is the Difference Between Colitis and Proctitis?

Colitis is a medical condition that affects the colon of the large intestine, while proctitis is a medical condition that affects the rectum of the large intestine. Thus, this is the key difference between colitis and proctitis. Furthermore, colitis results in complications like perforation, toxic megacolon, increased risk of colon cancer, and other inflammatory diseases. On the other hand, proctitis results in complications such as neuropathy, excessive bleeding, anemia, stricture or stenosis, neurogenic bladder dysfunction, numbness, tingling or burning sensation in lower limbs, and erectile dysfunction.

The infographic below presents the differences between colitis and proctitis in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Colitis vs Proctitis

Gastrointestinal disease or illness affects the gastrointestinal tract, which runs from mouth to anus. Colitis and proctitis are two gastrointestinal illnesses that affect parts of the large intestine of the gastrointestinal tract. Colitis is known as the inflammation of the colon, while proctitis is the inflammation of the tissue lining the inner part of the rectum. So, this is the key difference between colitis and proctitis.

Reference:

1. David A Piccoli. “Colitis.” E-Medicine.
2. “Proctitis.” Mayo Clinic.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Classification of Colitis” By User:Connormah (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Proctitis with reactive changes – alt — high mag” By Nephron – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia