Solitary rectal ulcer syndrome

Solitary rectal ulcer syndrome

Definition:

Solitary rectal ulcer syndrome is a condition that occurs when a sore (ulcer) develops in the rectum. The rectum is a muscular tube that's connected to the end of your colon. Stool passes through the rectum on its way out of the body.

Solitary rectal ulcer syndrome is a rare and poorly understood disorder that occurs in people with chronic constipation. Solitary rectal ulcer syndrome can cause rectal bleeding and straining during bowel movements. Despite its name, sometimes more than one rectal ulcer occurs in solitary rectal ulcer syndrome.
Treatments for solitary rectal ulcer syndrome range from changing your diet and fluid intake to surgery.

Symptoms:

Signs and symptoms of solitary rectal ulcer syndrome include:

• Constipation
• A feeling of incomplete passing of stool
• Pain or a feeling of fullness in your pelvis
• Passing mucus from your rectum
• Fecal incontinence
• Rectal pain or anal sphincter spasms
• Rectal bleeding
• Straining during bowel movements

However, some people with solitary rectal ulcer syndrome may experience no symptoms.

When to see a doctor 
Make an appointment with your doctor if you notice any signs or symptoms that worry you.
Other diseases and conditions may cause signs and symptoms similar to those of solitary rectal ulcer syndrome. At your appointment, your doctor may recommend tests and procedures to rule out other causes of your signs and symptoms.

Causes:

It's not always clear what causes solitary rectal ulcer syndrome. Doctors believe stress or injury to the rectum may cause rectal ulcers to form.
Examples of situations that could injure the rectum include:

• Attempts to manually remove impacted stool
• Constipation or impacted stool
• Anal intercourse
• Intussusception, which occurs when part of the intestine slides inside another part
• Radiation therapy used to treat cancer in the abdomen or pelvis
• Rectal prolapse, which occurs when the rectum protrudes from the anus
• Straining during bowel movements
• Use of ergotamine suppositories, an anti-migraine treatment
• Uncoordinated tightening of the pelvic floor muscles that slows blood flow to the rectum

Treatments and drugs:

Treatment for solitary rectal ulcer syndrome depends on the severity of your condition. People with mild signs and symptoms may find relief through lifestyle changes, while people with more severe signs and symptoms may require treatment.
Behavior therapy to stop straining during bowel movements
Some people strain during bowel movements out of habit. Behavior therapy can help you learn to relax your pelvic muscles during bowel movements. In one technique called biofeedback, a specialist teaches you to control certain involuntary body responses, such as tightening of your anus or pelvic floor muscles during defecation. Biofeedback may make you more aware of your straining and help you to control it.
Medications
Treatments such as topical steroids, sulfasalazine enemas and botulinum toxin (Botox) may help ease your rectal ulcer symptoms. However, these treatments don't work for everyone, and some are still considered experimental.
Surgery
Surgical procedures used to treat rectal ulcer include:

• Rectal prolapse surgery. If you have a rectal prolapse that's causing rectal ulcer, your doctor may recommend a rectopexy procedure. Rectopexy secures the rectum in its anatomically correct position with stitches.
• Surgery to remove the rectum. An operation to remove the rectum may be an option for people with severe rectal ulcer signs and symptoms who haven't been helped by other treatments. The surgeon may connect the colon to an opening in the abdomen for waste to leave the body (colostomy). If you have a colostomy, a pouch or bag is then attached to your abdomen to collect waste.

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Shingles

Shingles

Definition  :

Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. Although shingles can occur anywhere on your body, it most often appears as a single stripe of blisters that wraps around either the left or the right side of your torso.

Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus — the same virus that causes chickenpox. After you've had chickenpox, the virus lies inactive in nerve tissue near your spinal cord and brain. Years later, the virus may reactivate as shingles.
While it isn't a life-threatening condition, shingles can be very painful. Vaccines can help reduce the risk of shingles, while early treatment can help shorten a shingles infection and lessen the chance of complications.

Symptoms:

The signs and symptoms of shingles usually affect only a small section of one side of your body. These signs and symptoms may include:

• Pain, burning, numbness or tingling
• A red rash that begins a few days after the pain
• Fluid-filled blisters that break open and crust over
• Itching

Some people also experience:

• Fever and chills
• General achiness
• Headache
• Fatigue

Pain is usually the first symptom of shingles. For some, it can be intense. Depending on the location of the pain, it can sometimes be mistaken for a symptom of problems affecting the heart, lungs or kidneys. Some people experience shingles pain without ever developing the rash.
Most commonly, the shingles rash develops as a stripe of blisters that wraps around either the left or right side of your torso. Sometimes the shingles rash occurs around one eye or on one side of the neck or face.
When to see a doctor
Contact your doctor promptly if you suspect shingles, but especially in the following situations:

• The pain and rash occur near an eye. If left untreated, this infection can lead to permanent eye damage.
• You're 65 or older, which increases your risk of complications.
• You or someone in your family has a weakened immune system (due to cancer, medications or chronic illness).
• The rash is widespread and painful.

Causes:

Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus — the same virus that causes chickenpox. Anyone who's had chickenpox may develop shingles. After you recover from chickenpox, the virus can enter your nervous system and lie dormant for years. Eventually, it may reactivate and travel along nerve pathways to your skin — producing shingles.

The reason for the encore is unclear. But it may be due to lowered immunity to infections as you grow older. Shingles is more common in older adults and in people who have weak immune systems.
Varicella-zoster is part of a group of viruses called herpes viruses, which includes the viruses that cause cold sores and genital herpes. Because of this, shingles is also known as herpes zoster. But the virus that causes chickenpox and shingles is not the same virus responsible for cold sores or genital herpes, a sexually transmitted infection.

Are you contagious?
A person with shingles can pass the varicella-zoster virus to anyone who isn't immune to chickenpox. This usually occurs through direct contact with the open sores of the shingles rash. Once infected, the person will develop chickenpox, however, not shingles.
Chickenpox can be dangerous for some groups of people. Until your shingles blisters scab over, you are contagious and should avoid physical contact with:

• Anyone who has a weak immune system
• Newborns
• Pregnant women

Complications:
 Complications from shingles can include:

• Postherpetic neuralgia. For some people, shingles pain continues long after the blisters have cleared. This condition is known as postherpetic neuralgia, and it occurs when damaged nerve fibers send confused and exaggerated messages of pain from your skin to your brain.
• Vision loss. Shingles in or around an eye (ophthalmic shingles) can cause painful eye infections that may result in vision loss.
• Neurological problems. Depending on which nerves are affected, shingles can cause an inflammation of the brain (encephalitis), facial paralysis, or hearing or balance problems.
• Skin infections. If shingles blisters aren't properly treated, bacterial skin infections may develop.

Treatments and drugs:


There's no cure for shingles, but prompt treatment with prescription antiviral drugs can speed healing and reduce your risk of complications. These medications include:

• Acyclovir (Zovirax)
• Valacyclovir (Valtrex)
• Famciclovir (Famvir)

Shingles can cause severe pain, so your doctor may prescribe:

• Anticonvulsants, such as gabapentin (Neurontin)
• Tricyclic antidepressants, such as amitriptyline
• Numbing agents, such as lidocaine, delivered via a cream, gel, spray or skin patch
• Medications that contain narcotics, such as codeine

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