Q: I have ulcerative colitis, but it is pretty well controlled. What is the risk for diving?

A: Ulcerative colitis is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that affects the surface layer of the intestine and causes chronic, intermittent problems with the colon. While ulcerative colitis is limited to the large intestine, the other main type of chronic IBD, Crohn’s disease, can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract, including the mouth, esophagus and small intestine, and may involve the entire thickness of the bowel wall, which may cause obstruction or perforation.

There is no real cure for these lifelong diseases; treatment 
is directed at the symptoms. Removing a patient’s colon has proved to be effective but is generally seen as a last resort.

However, great advances have been made in the treatment of IBDs in the past decade. Daily medication regimens and injectable medications that last for weeks at
 a time have proven to be effective. None of these standard medication regimens would preclude safe diving as long as the diver does not have any symptoms of an acute complication like infection, obstruction, or perforation of the bowel.

Related Reading: How to Manage Your Diving Task Load