Ulcerative Colitis & the Seasons: Are Symptoms Worse in Spring and Summer?

Understanding a disease that you've been living with for months or years can actually make that disease easier to bear. When you know what causes it, how it occurs, when it might cause symptoms and how to treat it, you can begin to predict its nature and course. Unfortunately, however, ulcerative colitis is one of the many diseases about which scientists and researchers are largely stumped, making it difficult to research.

Most of us with ulcerative colitis know that flare-ups can occur at any time and can last an indeterminate number of days, or even weeks. Recent research, however, suggests that ulcerative colitis symptoms may be worse in the spring and summer months, and that flare-ups might actually coincide with the seasons. But does this research apply to your case, and how can you use this information to your advantage?

According to ScienceDirect.com, a study conducted from June 2003 to May 2004 on ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease patients yielded statistically significant findings concerning inflammatory bowel disease and the seasons. Flare-ups of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's, according to this study, occurred more frequently during the summer and spring months than in the autumn and winter. The results for Crohn's patients were stronger than in ulcerative colitis, but it is still an interesting conclusion to draw.

Since my diagnosis with ulcerative colitis, I've noticed that my flare-ups are more common in July and August, but I've always attributed that increase in symptoms to the weather. A dry, hot, uncomfortable environment, which is what summers are like in Houston, Texas, can influence your health considerably. Since dehydration is a common experience for UC patients, the warmer seasons may encourage it, especially if you are active.

I've also noticed that my UC flare-ups are more common when I'm outside every day and when I engage in physical exertion. This might have to do with my body's immune system, or with a disruption to my gastrointestinal system. After discussing this with my doctor in preparation for this article, he agrees that the seasons may play a significant part in ulcerative colitis symptoms, but that patients can't rely on those suppositions alone.

However, it may be that ulcerative colitis is influenced by the spring and summer months for other reasons.

The study mentioned above concedes that environmental conditions may play a part in the onset of ulcerative colitis symptoms, and that the fluctuations of an individual's immune system may also be influenced by the seasons. For example, an ulcerative colitis patient who also suffers from severe spring allergies will have a weaker immune system during the spring. Therefore, flare-ups may occur more frequently.

Additionally, you may find that your ulcerative colitis flare-ups change frequency or severity when you move to a new place, most likely because your body is adjusting to a new climate and perhaps even a new elevation. Your surroundings play a large part in your body's reactions to certain stimuli, which certainly takes into account the changing of seasons.

Does this mean that winter and autumn will bring you freedom from ulcerative colitis symptoms? Absolutely not. Even in the study, patients still experienced flare-ups during all of the seasons, but the frequency increased during the spring and summer. You may find that your UC symptoms change from year to year, depending on many factors, or that your symptoms become predictable. It changes from person to person.

Source:

A. Arataria, b, Corresponding Author Contact Information, E-mail The Corresponding Author, C. Papib, B. Gallettic, E. Angeluccia, A. Viscidoa, V. D'Ovidioa, A. Ciacob, M. Abdullahib and R. Caprilli, Seasonal variations in onset of symptoms in Crohn's disease, ScienceDirect.com