Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Inflammatory Bowel Disease or IBD is a general term covering several conditions characterized by inflammation of the intestines.
The most frequently experienced forms of IBD are ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. There is no known cause for IBD so it is referred to as an idiopathic disease.
IBD is a chronic disease marked by cyclic periods of activity and inactivity. During an active stage the disease causes
- Pain and cramping of the abdomen
- Diarrhea with blood in it
- Urgent uncontrollable urges to have a bowel movement
- Loss of appetite
- Loss of weight
- Anemia and fever
Serious complications can develop from chronic IBD:
- Ulceration and bleeding
- Bowel rupture
- Bowel obstruction
- Fistula formation
- Toxic megacolon
- Colon cancer
Treatment for IBD
IBD treatment attempts to maintain periods of remission by suppressing the immune response causing active periods of the disease. Increasing the period of inactivity allows the intestines to heal and reduces the severity of abdominal symptoms.
The first line of treatment is a combination for symptom-specific medications. These medications may include aminosalicylates, antibiotics, corticosteroids or immune system modifying agents.
Surgery is often employed for people with ulcerative colitis as the disease can be cured through surgical removal of the diseased colon.
Although surgery cannot cure Crohn’s disease, it is frequently necessary to treat serious complications.