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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Chinese Herbal Retention Enema for the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis
Published on: May 16, 2025
Bowel Urgency in Ulcerative Colitis Is Common and Associated With Disability, With Mediation From Psychosocial
Chung Sang Tse1, Melissa G Hunt2, Lily A Brown3
1Division of Gastroenterology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Background And Aims:
Bowel urgency is a distressing and disruptive symptom in adults with ulcerative colitis (UC). We hypothesized that bowel urgency is associated with disease-related disability and influenced by psychosocial factors.
Methods:
Hierarchical multiple linear regression assessed baseline disease symptoms (severity of bowel urgency, stool frequency, and rectal bleeding) and psychosocial factors' association with disability, using cross-sectional data from the ADEPT (Addressing Disability Effectively with Psychosocial Telemedicine) trial.
Results:
Among 241 adults with UC, 48% (116/241) had moderate-to-severe bowel urgency, and 75% (89/119) of participants without diarrhea or rectal bleeding experienced bowel urgency. Bowel urgency was strongly correlated with disability (ρ = 0.597; P < .0001), with mediation from negative illness perceptions, lower self-efficacy, and more health-related social needs (all P < .001). Gastrointestinal symptoms explained 40% of the variance in disability, and psychosocial factors accounted for an additional 19% (both P < .001).
Conclusion:
Bowel urgency occurs in 75% of patients with UC without diarrhea or rectal bleeding and is strongly associated with disability. Illness perceptions, self-efficacy, and health-related social needs mediate bowel urgency and disability.
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