Abstract is: Colitis is swelling or inflammation of the large intestine (colon). Colitis may be acute and self-limited or long-term. It broadly fits into the category of digestive diseases. In a medical context, the label colitis (without qualification) is used if: * The cause of the inflammation in the colon is undetermined; for example, colitis may be applied to Crohn's disease at a time when the diagnosis is unknown, or * The context is clear; for example, an individual with ulcerative colitis is talking about their disease with a physician who knows the diagnosis.