Do patients with IBD absorb foods normally?
Most often, yes. Patients who have inflammation only in the large intestine absorb food normally. People with Crohn’s disease may have problems with digestion if their disease involves the small intestine. They may eat enough food but cannot absorb it adequately. In fact, up to 40 percent of people with Crohn’s do not absorb carbohydrates properly. They may experience bloating, gaseousness, and diarrhea as well as a loss in important nutrients. Fat malabsorption is another problem in Crohn’s disease, affecting at least one-third of patients. At particular risk are people who have had terminal ileal resections. The degree to which digestion is impaired depends on how much of the small intestine is diseased and whether any intestine has been removed during surgery. If only the last foot or two of the ileum is inflamed, the absorption of all nutrients except vitamin B-12 will probably be normal. If more than two or three feet of ileum is diseased, significant malabsorption of fat may occu
