Ulcerative colitis is a condition that causes inflammation in the linings of the large intestine or the rectum, or in some cases, both. About 750,000 people in the US are diagnosed with this condition every year. The number of undiagnosed cases, however, are still high. Here is everything you need to know about the condition, so that you can spot symptoms early on and get the treatment you need.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an inflammatory disease that affects the lungs by obstructing the airflow. Chronic bronchitis and emphysema are two conditions that play a big role in COPD and they both occur together usually. The main reason for COPD is smoking and the inhalation of other irritating gases.

Hepatitis C is a viral liver infection, leading to inflammation and chronic damage to the organ. The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the causal organism of this disease. There are five stages of this infection- incubation period (time between the contact with the virus and the appearance of symptoms), acute hepatitis C (short-term illness lasting for six months), chronic hepatitis C (long-term infection), cirrhosis (scarring and severe inflammation of the liver), and liver cancer (malignancy in the liver).

Macular degeneration is an age-related ocular ailment where light-sensitive retinal cells get damaged over time. It usually develops after 60 years and can lead to severe or permanent vision loss. Patients usually complain of the appearance of dark spots or blurred vision, as the nerve tissue in the macular region (small area in the center of the retina) becomes degenerated.

Diabetes mellitus or diabetes is a metabolic condition that affects the body’s ability to process blood sugar. Insulin transfers the sugar from the blood to the body’s cells so that it can be used for generating energy, but diabetes leads to the body either not producing adequate insulin or being unable to use the insulin produced effectively.