What is Inflammatory Bowel Disease?
Inflammatory bowel disease refers to the condition that results when cells involved in inflammation and immune response are called into the lining of the GI tract. This infiltration thickens the bowel lining and interferes with absorption and motility (the ability of the bowel to contract and move food). With abnormal ability to contract and abnormal ability to absorb, the bowels function is disrupted. Chronic vomiting results if the infiltration is in the stomach or higher areas of the small intestine. A watery diarrhea with weight loss results if the infiltration is in the lower small intestine. A mucous diarrhea with fresh blood (colitis) results if the infiltration occurs in the large intestine. Of course, the entire tract from top to bottom may be involved. Many people confuse Inflammatory Bowel Disease with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, a stress-related diarrhea problem. Treatment for IBS is aimed at stress; it is a completely different condition from IBD. [Back to Top of Page] WHY W
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is an umbrella term referring to two chronic diseases that cause inflammation of the intestines: ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). Though UC and CD are different diseases they do have features in common but there are important distinctions also. Frequently, the symptoms caused by UC and CD are similar. Both diseases are chronic and most frequently have their onset in early adult life. Some patients have alternating periods of relative health (remission) alternating with periods of disease (relapse or flare), while other patients have continuous symptoms from continued inflammation. Fortunately, as treatment has improved the proportion of people with continued symptoms appears to have diminished significantly . The severity of the diseases varies widely between individuals. Some suffer only mild symptoms, but others have severe and disabling symptoms. Some have a gradual onset of symptoms, some develop them suddenly. About half of patient
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) refers to two related but different diseases: ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. These diseases cause chronic inflammation of the intestinal tract, which leads to a variety of symptoms. The inflammation can also lead to involvement of organs other than the intestines. IBD is a lifelong disease with periods of active disease alternating with periods of disease control (remission). IBD is sometimes confused with but is different than irritable bowel syndrome. There are more than 1 million people with IBD in the United States with new cases diagnosed at a rate of 10 cases per 100,000 people. These diseases account for 700,000 physician visits per year and 100,000 hospitalizations per year in the United States. Ulcerative colitis can be cured with surgery but Crohn’s disease cannot be cured. There are good medical therapies available for both diseases. 2. Who gets IBD? IBD is generally a disease of young people because it most commonly develops between
Inflammatory bowel disease can be the result of several conditions, like Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis. The condition, also called IBD, has a number of painful or difficult symptoms. These include severe abdominal pain and cramping, diarrhea, and bleeding from the intestines, which may be noted when you use the bathroom. The condition seems to occur or be diagnosed most frequently in people in their mid teens up to their early 30s, but this doesn’t mean children or older adults can’t get the condition. Part of the reason inflammatory bowel disease creates these difficult symptoms is due to ulcers that form inside the rectum and colon. With Crohn’s disease, these ulcers are most likely to occur in the small and large intestine, and inflammation may affect the entire wall of the bowel. Ulcers forming from ulcerative colitis tend to begin at the rectum and remain in the large intestine, and inflammation is usually restricted to the lining of the bowel. Location of ulcers may help
