Types of proctitis are mainly distinguished by etiology, pathologic features, laboratory tests and predisposing factors.
1. Infectious proctitis: It can be caused by fecal-oral transmission of unclean diet (food containing pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, etc.) or by infectious diseases such as gonorrhea and genital herpes. Leukocytes may be elevated on routine blood tests, and pathogens can usually be found in feces.
2. Ulcerative proctitis: it is usually a chronic non-specific inflammatory lesion caused by abnormal immune response of the intestinal tract, and serum autoantibody examination may also show that some autoantibodies (e.g. neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody, anti-Brewer’s yeast antibody, etc.) are positive. Some patients may also have inflammatory bowel disease, that is, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.
3. Radiation proctitis: patients have a history of radiation exposure, usually as a complication of radiation therapy for malignant tumors.
Patients with proctitis are advised to consult a doctor in time, improve the examination, clarify the type of proctitis, and carry out targeted treatment under the guidance of the doctor.