What causes acute colitis?

Acute colitis may be caused by pathogen infection, drug action, radiation therapy and other factors.

1. Pathogen infection

Colitis is infected by Shigella, norovirus, adenovirus and other pathogens. These pathogens can multiply and damage the colon mucosa, causing acute inflammation.

2. Drug action

Patients who take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for a long time, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, etc., may damage the colon mucosa and cause acute colitis.

3. Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy is one of the methods for treating some cancers, but radiation may damage the intestinal mucosa and cause acute colitis.