What is the Difference Between Ulcerative Colitis and Piles

The key difference between ulcerative colitis and piles is that ulcerative colitis is a medical condition that causes ulcers in the large colon and rectum, while piles are a medical condition that causes swollen veins in the anus and lower rectum.

Anal pain is the pain that occurs around the anus and rectum. Often, this pain accompanies bleeding. It is a common symptom of many different medical conditions. Most of the symptoms are minor and go away with treatment. In rare cases, it is a symptom of a serious condition such as anal cancer. Many different medical conditions can cause anal pain, such as ulcerative colitis, piles, anal fissure, anal fistula, anal abscess, infections, etc. Ulcerative colitis and piles are two different medical conditions that are responsible for anal pain.

CONTENTS

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

What is Ulcerative Colitis?

Ulcerative colitis is a medical condition that causes ulcers in the large colon and rectum. It is an autoimmune disease. This condition affects the innermost lining of the large intestine and rectum. Ulcerative colitis is debilitating and can lead to life-threatening complications. Doctors classify ulcerative colitis according to inflammation location. There are four types: ulcerative proctitis (inflammation confined to anus), proctosigmoiditis (inflammation in the rectum and sigmoid colon), left-sided colitis (inflammation extends from the rectum up through the sigmoid and descending colon), pancolitis (inflammation in entire colon).

The symptoms of this medical condition include diarrhea, abdominal pain, rectal pain, rectal bleeding, urge to defecate, inability to defecate, weight loss, fatigue, fever, and in children, failure to grow. The risk factors include age (usually begins before age 30), ethnicity (Ashkenazi Jewish descent higher risk), and family history (more risk if the patient has one or more close relatives suffering from this inflammatory condition). Moreover, this inflammatory condition can be diagnosed through endoscopy, tissue biopsy, blood test, imaging tests (X-ray, CT scan, MRI), and stool tests. The treatments include anti-inflammatory drugs (5-aminosalicylates, corticosteroids), immunosuppressant (azathioprine, cyclosporine), biologics targeting immune system proteins (infliximab, vedolizumab), and surgery (proctocolectomy).

What are Piles?

Piles are a medical condition that causes swollen veins in the anus and lower rectum. Piles are also known as hemorrhoids. Piles or hemorrhoids can develop inside the rectum or under the skin around the anus. Usually, nearly three out of four adults will have hemorrhoids from time to time. There are three types of hemorrhoids (piles): external hemorrhoids (under the skin around the anus), internal hemorrhoids (inside the rectum), and thrombosed hemorrhoids (clot forms from external hemorrhoids).

The symptoms include itching and irritation in the anal region, pain, or discomfort, swelling around the anus, bleeding, inflammation, and a hard lump near the anus. This medical condition can be diagnosed through digital examination (rectum exam) and visual inspection (anoscope, proctoscope, or sigmoidoscope). Furthermore, the treatment options may include medications that relieve pain and itching (hydrocortisone, lidocaine), external hemorrhoid thrombectomy, sclerotherapy, coagulation technique (infrared, laser), hemorrhoidectomy, and hemorrhoid stapling.

What are the Similarities Between Ulcerative Colitis and Piles?

• Ulcerative colitis and piles are two different medical conditions causing anal pain.
• Both medical conditions are confined to areas such as large colon, rectum, and anus of the digestive tract.
• Both medical conditions may cause bleeding.
• They are easily treatable with medications and surgeries.

What is the Difference Between Ulcerative Colitis and Piles?

Ulcerative colitis is a medical condition that causes ulcers in the large colon and rectum, while piles are a medical condition that causes swollen veins in the anus and lower rectum. Thus, this is the key difference between ulcerative colitis and piles. Furthermore, ulcerative colitis is a less common medical condition, while piles are a more common medical condition.

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

Summary – Ulcerative Colitis vs Piles

Ulcerative colitis and piles are two different medical conditions that cause anal pain. Both medical conditions affect the lower part of the digestive tract. Ulcerative colitis causes ulcers in the large colon and rectum, while piles cause swollen veins in the anus and lower rectum. So, this is the key difference between ulcerative colitis and piles.

Reference:

1. “Ulcerative Colitis.” NHS Choices, NHS.
2. “Hemorrhoids.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Ulcerative colitis” By Samir at English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Piles Grade 3” By Armin Kübelbeck (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia