I am not a scientist, doctor, or even a professional, anything I say below is information obtained elsewhere and compiled here for your benefit in my own writing. To my knowledge this information is true and if there is more information that should be added here, I beg of you to tell me so that I can add it to be of better service to you.
UC is a shortened way to say Ulcerative Colitis. It's a disease affecting .05% of all people in the United States and most people don't even know it exists. Ulcerative Colitis does horrible things to a person's insides, it swells up your colon and you get ulcers that leak blood and pus on top of that. Oh, and since your colon is swollen, it has to drain frequently causing you diarrhea, so dehydration is also an issue.
This disease is often hard to find and diagnose and you should have an MRI and colonoscopy done to confirm it before they stick you on multiple medications to help. Ulcerative Colitis can at first be confused with Crohn's disease, which is a much more advanced Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) which can also affect a person's small intestine, mouth, esophagus, and stomach.
The usual onset of Ulcerative Colitis is between the ages of 15 and 30, but it can also occur is people ages 50-70 for the first time. There is some information that suggests the disease runs in families, but really that's only in 20% of patients and more often than not it's not genetic and doctors don't know what causes it beyond bad luck. Also, people of the lighter skin tones seem to be more at risk of this particular disease and more specifically those of a Jewish persuasion.
Symptoms of the disease may include: anemia, fatigue, weight loss, loss of appetite, rectal bleeding, malnutrition, dehydration, joint pains, and mild to severe abdominal cramps. Other symptoms exist but are less common.
With this disease the main things you need to look out for are dehydration and the development of an additional infection on top of your Ulcerative Colitis that may be contagious.
After you're diagnosed with UC, there's a long list of things you're not supposed to eat during a flare up because it will hurt you awfully bad. Some of these foods include: any uncooked fruit (except peeled apples and bananas), most vegetables, any nuts, whole grains, and most dairy products. Gosh, I sure hope you like meat and white bread, because that's about all you're allowed to eat until you feel normal again, then you can eat whatever you want.
If you think you or someone you love/like/even moderately care about has Ulcerative Colitis, please go/encourage/force them to go to a doctor and get it checked out. Ulcerative Colitis is a serious disease and should be checked out as soon as possible.