Ulcerative colitis is characterized by which of the following symptoms?

Ulcerative colitis is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that primarily affects the colon and is characterized by inflammation and ulceration of the colonic mucosa. One of the hallmark symptoms of this condition is bloody diarrhea, which occurs due to the ulceration of the colon leading to bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. Patients may also experience abdominal pain, particularly on the left side, as the sigmoid colon is often most severely affected in ulcerative colitis. This left-sided abdominal pain accompanies the frequent, urgent need to have bowel movements, which are often bloody.

Weight loss and fever can be seen in ulcerative colitis but are not as definitive as bloody diarrhea and abdominal pain when diagnosing the condition. Severe constipation and vomiting are not associated with ulcerative colitis; rather, they are more indicative of other gastrointestinal disorders. Similarly, severe abdominal pain and hypertension may be symptoms of different conditions but are not characteristic of ulcerative colitis. Thus, the presence of bloody diarrhea and left-sided abdominal pain aligns most closely with the clinical presentation of ulcerative colitis.