Dr. Samhitha Reddy
Consultant Proctologist & Laparoscopic Surgeon
MBBS, MS, FMAS, FISCP, DMAS
- 8 Yrs
- ASCRS Member
Proctology · Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Ulcerative Colitis Treatment in Hyderabad: Lasting Remission at Lux Hospitals
Ulcerative colitis is a lifelong inflammatory disease of the colon and rectum. It runs in flares and remissions, and the aim of modern treatment is to make the remissions long and the flares rare.
Treatment has changed considerably: biologics and small-molecule drugs now achieve healing of the bowel lining, not just relief of symptoms. Our specialists at Lux Hospitals, HITEC CITY combine accurate endoscopic assessment with a treatment plan matched to how extensive and how severe your disease actually is.
- Remission-Focused
- Advanced Endoscopy
- Long-Term Support
What is Ulcerative Colitis?
Ulcerative colitis is a form of inflammatory bowel disease that causes continuous inflammation and ulceration of the lining of the colon and rectum. The immune system attacks the bowel lining as though it were a threat, and the resulting inflammation produces the diarrhoea, bleeding and urgency that characterise the disease.
It differs from Crohn’s disease in two ways that matter clinically. Ulcerative colitis affects only the large bowel and always includes the rectum, spreading upward continuously without skipping segments. And it involves only the inner lining rather than the full thickness of the wall, which is why fistulas, common in Crohn’s, are not a feature here.
The disease is classified by how far up the colon it extends: proctitis confined to the rectum, left-sided colitis reaching the splenic flexure, and pancolitis involving the whole colon. That extent determines whether treatment can be delivered locally as suppositories and enemas, or must be taken by mouth or by infusion.
Causes of Ulcerative Colitis
The exact cause is unknown. What is understood is the mechanism: a genetically susceptible person meets an environmental trigger, and the immune response to the gut’s own bacteria fails to switch off.
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Immune system dysfunction
The immune system mounts a sustained attack on the bowel lining, and the inflammation that should resolve after a threat clears instead persists.
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Genetic predisposition
More than two hundred genetic loci are associated with IBD, and a family history raises the risk substantially, though most patients have none.
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Gut microbiome imbalance
An altered balance of intestinal bacteria appears both to trigger and to sustain the inflammatory response.
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Environmental triggers
Gastrointestinal infections, certain medications and antibiotic exposure can precipitate a first attack or a subsequent flare.
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Diet and urbanisation
Incidence is rising fastest in urbanising populations, implicating diet and environment even though no single food causes the disease.
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NSAID use
Anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen and diclofenac are a well-recognised trigger for flares and are best avoided.
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Psychological stress
Stress does not cause ulcerative colitis, but it is a consistent trigger for flares in people who already have it.
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Stopping treatment
The commonest avoidable cause of a flare. Maintenance therapy stopped once things feel settled is what precedes a great many relapses.
Nothing you ate or did caused this. What you can influence is the flare rate, and staying on maintenance treatment is by far the most effective lever available.
Symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis
Symptoms range from mild to severe with the extent of inflammation, and typically develop over weeks rather than appearing suddenly.
Bowel symptoms
- Persistent diarrhoea, often with blood or mucus
- Abdominal pain and cramping, typically on the left side
- Urgency to pass stool, sometimes with incontinence
- Tenesmus: a painful, constant urge with little result
- Waking at night to open the bowels
Systemic & extra-intestinal
- Weight loss, fatigue and loss of appetite
- Fever during a moderate to severe flare
- Anaemia from chronic blood loss
- Joint pain and swelling, which often tracks disease activity
- Eye inflammation, mouth ulcers, or skin rashes
More than six bloody stools a day with fever, a racing pulse or anaemia is a severe flare. That needs hospital assessment the same day: it is the one presentation of this disease that is genuinely urgent.
How Ulcerative Colitis is Diagnosed
Diagnosis rests on endoscopy with biopsy. Everything else supports it, measures its severity, or excludes the infections that mimic it.
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Blood tests
Full blood count for anaemia, inflammatory markers, albumin, iron studies and liver function: together they gauge how active and how severe the disease is.
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Faecal calprotectin
A stool marker of bowel inflammation. It distinguishes IBD from IBS reliably, and is the most useful non-invasive way to track disease activity afterwards.
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Stool cultures
To exclude infective colitis, including Clostridioides difficile, which mimics a flare and needs entirely different treatment.
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Colonoscopy with biopsy
The definitive test. It shows continuous inflammation extending up from the rectum, establishes the extent, and biopsies confirm the diagnosis histologically.
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Flexible sigmoidoscopy
A limited examination used during a severe flare, when a full colonoscopy would carry a risk of perforation.
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Imaging
CT or MRI where complications are suspected, and to help distinguish ulcerative colitis from Crohn’s disease in unclear cases.
Getting the extent right at diagnosis is not academic. Proctitis is treated with suppositories; pancolitis needs systemic therapy from the outset.
Treatment Options for Ulcerative Colitis
Treatment has two phases: inducing remission during a flare, then maintaining it. The modern target is mucosal healing: a bowel lining that looks normal at endoscopy, not merely a patient who feels better.
Medical
Medication
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Aminosalicylates (5-ASA)
Mesalazine, taken orally and as suppositories or enemas. First-line for mild to moderate disease, and the backbone of long-term maintenance.
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Corticosteroids
Prednisolone or budesonide to bring a moderate or severe flare under control quickly. Highly effective for induction, but never for maintenance because of their long-term effects.
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Immunomodulators
Azathioprine or mercaptopurine, used to maintain remission and to allow steroids to be withdrawn. They take two to three months to work.
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Biologic therapy
Anti-TNF agents, vedolizumab and ustekinumab target specific parts of the immune response. They achieve mucosal healing in disease that has not responded to conventional treatment.
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JAK inhibitors
Oral small-molecule drugs such as tofacitinib, which work rapidly and are an option for moderate to severe disease.
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Supportive treatment
Iron for anaemia, calcium and vitamin D alongside steroids, and nutritional support during a significant flare.
Surgical
Surgical treatment
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Total colectomy with ileostomy
Removal of the colon, performed as an emergency in severe colitis that does not respond to intensive medical treatment, or where perforation or toxic megacolon develops.
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Ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA)
The colon is removed and a pouch fashioned from the small bowel is joined to the anus, so bowel movements continue by the normal route and no permanent stoma is needed.
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Laparoscopic colectomy
The same operations done through keyhole incisions, with less pain, a shorter stay and a faster recovery than open surgery.
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Staged surgery
Often performed in two or three stages with a temporary ileostomy, allowing the pouch to heal before it is brought into use.
Surgery is worth understanding rather than fearing. Removing the colon cures ulcerative colitis outright (the disease cannot return) and for patients with severe refractory disease it is frequently transformative rather than a last resort.
What Biologic Therapy Involves
For moderate to severe disease that has not responded to conventional treatment. It is a structured programme of infusions or injections with monitoring, not a single procedure.
Biologic induction & maintenance
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Pre-treatment screening
Screening for tuberculosis and hepatitis B, a chest X-ray, and a check of your vaccination status: biologics suppress immunity, so latent infection must be excluded first.
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Choosing the agent
The choice between an anti-TNF, vedolizumab, ustekinumab or a JAK inhibitor is made on disease severity, other conditions you have, and how quickly a response is needed.
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Induction phase
Loading doses over the first six to eight weeks, given as an intravenous infusion in the day-care unit or as a subcutaneous injection.
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Assessing the response
Symptoms, blood tests and faecal calprotectin at eight to twelve weeks. Where response is inadequate, the dose is escalated or the agent changed.
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Maintenance phase
Regular dosing every four to eight weeks depending on the drug. Many patients are taught to self-inject at home.
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Ongoing monitoring
Blood tests before each dose, calprotectin every few months, and a colonoscopy at intervals to confirm the lining has genuinely healed.
Infusions are given in the day-care unit and take one to three hours, after which you go home. Once you are established on treatment, most people find it fits around work with little disruption.
Why Choose Lux Hospitals for Ulcerative Colitis Treatment?
Inflammatory bowel disease is a long relationship with a team rather than a single episode of care. Here is why patients trust us:
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Experienced specialists
Proctologists and colitis experts who manage inflammatory bowel disease as a continuing programme, not a series of flares.
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Advanced diagnostics
Modern endoscopy and imaging to establish extent and severity accurately, and to confirm mucosal healing later.
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Comprehensive care
From the first consultation through to post-treatment follow-up, with one team throughout.
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Convenient location
Our hospital is in HITEC CITY, near IKEA: easily reachable from across Hyderabad.
Living With Ulcerative Colitis
This is management rather than recovery. The timeline below is how a flare is typically brought under control and remission established.
- Weeks 1–2
Flare treatment begins. Steroids or topical therapy start working within days, and bleeding and urgency usually settle first.
- Weeks 2–8
Symptoms come under control and steroids are tapered on a planned schedule. Maintenance therapy is established.
- Months 2–3
Immunomodulators reach full effect. Calprotectin is rechecked to confirm the inflammation is genuinely settling, not just the symptoms.
- Months 6–12
Colonoscopy to confirm mucosal healing: the target that predicts long-term outcome better than how you feel.
- Long term
Maintenance therapy continues indefinitely, with regular monitoring and surveillance colonoscopy from eight years after diagnosis.
Aftercare
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Never stop maintenance therapy
The commonest cause of a flare is stopping treatment once things feel fine. Maintenance is what is keeping you fine.
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Keep up your monitoring
Blood tests and calprotectin catch inflammation returning before symptoms do, when it is far easier to treat.
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Eat well between flares
No restriction is needed in remission. During a flare, a low-fibre, low-residue diet with lean protein is easier on an inflamed bowel.
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Avoid NSAIDs
Ibuprofen and diclofenac are recognised triggers for flares. Use paracetamol instead, and tell any doctor treating you.
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Surveillance colonoscopy
Long-standing colitis carries a raised risk of bowel cancer. Regular surveillance from eight years after diagnosis is what manages it.
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Plan pregnancy with us
Most treatments are safe in pregnancy and conceiving in remission gives the best outcomes. Discuss it before rather than after.
Most people with ulcerative colitis work full time, travel and have families. The disease is serious and it is also, with modern treatment, very manageable.
When Should You Seek Urgent Care?
Any of the following needs same-day medical assessment.
- More than six bloody stools a day.
- Fever, a racing pulse, or feeling severely unwell during a flare.
- Severe abdominal pain with a swollen, distended abdomen.
- Dizziness, breathlessness or signs of significant blood loss.
- Being unable to keep fluids down alongside a flare.
Cost of Ulcerative Colitis Treatment in Hyderabad
This is a long-term condition, so the honest figure is an ongoing one rather than a single procedure price. These are the ranges our patients fall into.
| Procedure | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|
| Specialist consultation Per visit | ₹800 – ₹1,500 |
| Colonoscopy with biopsy Day care, including histopathology | ₹15,000 – ₹30,000 |
| 5-ASA maintenance therapy Per month, oral and topical combined | ₹2,000 – ₹6,000 |
| Immunomodulator therapy Per month, including monitoring bloods | ₹1,500 – ₹4,000 |
| Biologic therapy Per dose; frequency varies by agent | ₹25,000 – ₹80,000 |
| Laparoscopic colectomy with pouch Staged procedure, five to seven nights per stage | ₹3,50,000 – ₹6,00,000 |
What changes the estimate
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Extent and severity
Proctitis treated with suppositories and pancolitis requiring biologics sit at opposite ends of the cost range.
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Which drug class you need
The step from 5-ASA to a biologic is the largest single change in ongoing cost, and is driven by how the disease responds.
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Monitoring requirements
Regular bloods, calprotectin and surveillance colonoscopy are part of long-term care and recur rather than being one-off.
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Room category
A shared ward, a twin-sharing room or a private suite: the largest single swing in most estimates.
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Insurance & TPA cover
We are empanelled with most major insurers, and our team files the pre-authorisation for you.
Every figure above is an indicative range, not a quote. After your consultation you are given a written, fixed-cost estimate, and that is the number you pay, with no additions once treatment begins.
Other Proctology Treatments
Our Surgeons
Ulcerative Colitis Specialists at Lux Hospitals
The proctologists and IBD specialists who manage ulcerative colitis at our HITEC CITY hospital.
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Dr. Samhitha Reddy
Consultant Proctologist & Laparoscopic Surgeon
MBBS, MS, FMAS, FISCP, DMAS
8 years experience
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Dr. Abhishek Katha
Consultant General & Advanced Laparoscopic Surgeon
MBBS, MS, FMAS
17 years experience
Testimonials
What Patients Say About Their Treatment
Reviews from patients treated for colitis, IBD and colorectal conditions at Lux Hospitals, Hyderabad.
From the Blog
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Got Questions?
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about ulcerative colitis, its treatment, and what long-term care costs at Lux Hospitals.
What is the best treatment for ulcerative colitis?
It depends on how extensive and how severe the disease is. Mild disease responds to aminosalicylates, often given as suppositories or enemas. Moderate to severe disease needs corticosteroids to induce remission followed by immunomodulators or biologics to maintain it. Surgery is reserved for severe disease that does not respond, and it is curative.
What is the main cause of ulcerative colitis?
The exact cause is unknown. It is believed to result from an abnormal immune response to the gut’s own bacteria in a genetically susceptible person, set off by an environmental trigger. Nothing you ate or did caused it.
Can ulcerative colitis be cured?
Medical treatment controls the disease rather than curing it, and can keep it in remission for years. Surgery to remove the colon does cure ulcerative colitis outright, because the disease cannot occur without a colon, which is why colectomy is a genuine solution rather than merely a last resort.
What organ does ulcerative colitis affect?
Ulcerative colitis affects the large intestine (the colon) and the rectum. It always involves the rectum and spreads upward continuously. It does not affect the small intestine, which is one of the ways it is distinguished from Crohn’s disease.
What diet is best for ulcerative colitis?
During a flare, a low-fibre, low-residue diet with lean proteins and easily digestible foods such as cooked vegetables, white rice and bananas is gentler on an inflamed bowel; spicy, greasy and high-fibre foods are best avoided. In remission, no restriction is generally needed and a normal balanced diet is encouraged.
What is the difference between ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease?
Ulcerative colitis affects only the colon and rectum, spreads continuously from the rectum upward, and involves just the inner lining. Crohn’s disease can affect any part of the digestive tract from mouth to anus, occurs in patches with normal bowel between them, and involves the full thickness of the wall, which is why fistulas occur in Crohn’s but not in ulcerative colitis.
Does ulcerative colitis increase the risk of bowel cancer?
Long-standing, extensive colitis does carry a raised risk of bowel cancer. This is why surveillance colonoscopy is recommended from around eight years after diagnosis, and why keeping inflammation controlled matters: well-controlled disease carries a substantially lower risk.
Does the menstrual cycle affect ulcerative colitis?
Yes. Hormonal changes across the menstrual cycle can worsen symptoms, with increased bloating, cramping and looser stools around menstruation. This is common and does not necessarily mean the disease is flaring.
What is the cost of ulcerative colitis treatment in Hyderabad?
Cost depends on severity and on which drug class you need. Maintenance with 5-ASA runs ₹2,000–₹6,000 a month; biologic therapy is ₹25,000–₹80,000 per dose. Diagnostic colonoscopy is ₹15,000–₹30,000. We share a clear plan with costs at the outset and review it as treatment changes.
How can I book an appointment for ulcerative colitis treatment in Hyderabad?
You can book an appointment by calling us, messaging us on WhatsApp, or walking into Lux Hospitals, HITEC CITY.
Still have questions? Call us at 079 6908 4422
Still have questions? Message us on WhatsApp at 079 6908 4444
Book Your Ulcerative Colitis Consultation in Hyderabad
Accurate assessment and a remission-focused treatment plan, with costs discussed openly before treatment begins.
Plot No.116, Lumbini Avenue, HITEC CITY, Near IKEA, Hyderabad – 500032