Inflammatory Bowel Disease

How common is IBD?

https://www.thelancet.com › September 2019

The condition affects all ages and genders. IBD most commonly occurs between the ages of 15 and 30.

What are the types of IBD?

Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are the main types of IBD. Types include:

Crohn’s disease causes pain, diarrhoea with or without blood mixed in stools / constipation / vomiting. It can affect any part from the mouth to the anus. It most commonly affects the small intestine and upper part of the large intestine.

Ulcerative colitis causes swelling and sores (ulcers) in the large intestine (colon and rectum). The symptoms are diarrhoea with or without blood and abdominal pain.

Microscopic colitis causes intestinal inflammation that’s only detectable with a microscope.

What’s the difference between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)?

IBD is a disease; IBS is a group of symptoms. The causes and treatments are different.

IBS is a type of functional gastrointestinal disease. It affects how the bowels function, causing them to contract more (or sometimes less) often than usual. IBS is also known as spastic colon or nervous stomach.

IBS doesn’t inflame or damage the intestines like IBD, so imaging scans can’t detect it and it doesn’t increase the risk of colon cancer. People with IBS rarely need hospitalization or surgery.

Can you have IBD and IBS?

Yes, it’s possible to have both IBD and IBS. While IBD can cause IBS symptoms, there’s no evidence that having IBS increases your risk of IBD.

SYMPTOMS AND CAUSES

What causes IBD?

Researchers are still trying to determine why some people develop IBD. Three factors appear to play a role:

Genetics: As many as 1 in 4 people with IBD have a family history of the disease.

Immune system response: The immune system typically fights off infections. In people with IBD, the immune system mistakes foods as foreign substances. It releases antibodies (proteins) to fight against the food proteins . There is molecular mimicry – The food proteins can have antigens on their surface which are similar to antigens on the surface of the intestine cells. Hence the antibodies released by body’s immune system will attack the antigens on the surface of the intestine causing ulcers and disease, causing IBD symptoms.

Environmental triggers: People with a family history of IBD may develop the disease after exposure to an environmental trigger. These triggers include smoking, stress, medication use and depression.

What are IBD symptoms?

IBD symptoms can come and go. They may be mild or severe, and they may appear suddenly or come on gradually. Periods of IBD symptoms are IBD flares. When you don’t have symptoms, you’re in remission.

IBD symptoms include:

Abdominal (belly) pain.

Diarrhea (sometimes alternating with constipation) or urgent need to poop (bowel urgency).

Gas and bloating.

Loss of appetite or unexplained weight loss.

Mucus or blood in stool.

Rarely, IBD may also cause:

Fatigue.

Fever.

What are the complications of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)?

People with IBD have a higher risk of developing colon (colorectal) cancer. Other potential complications include:

Anal fistula (tunnel that forms under the skin connecting an infected anal gland and the anus).

Anal stenosis or stricture (narrowing of the anal canal where stool leaves the body).

Anemia (low levels of red blood cells) or blood clots.

Kidney stones.

Liver disease, such as cirrhosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis (bile duct inflammation).

Malabsorption and malnutrition (inability to get enough nutrients through the small intestine).

Osteoporosis.

Perforated bowel (hole or tear in the large intestine).

Toxic megacolon (severe intestinal swelling).