• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a term
that describes disorders involving long-
standing (chronic) inflammation of tissues in
your digestive tract.
• Types of IBD include:
• Ulcerative colitis:
• This condition involves inflammation and sores (ulcers) along the
lining of your large intestine (colon) and rectum.
• Crohn's disease:
• This type of IBD is characterized by inflammation of the lining of
the digestive tract, which often can involve the deeper layers of the
digestive tract.
• Crohn's disease most commonly affects the small intestine.
• However, it can also affect the large intestine and uncommonly,
the upper gastrointestinal tract.
• Both ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease usually are
characterized by diarrhea, rectal bleeding, abdominal pain,
fatigue and weight loss.
• For some people, IBD is only a mild illness.
• For others, it's a debilitating condition that can lead to life-
threatening complications.
Symptoms
• Inflammatory bowel disease symptoms vary, depending on the
severity of inflammation and where it occurs. Symptoms may
range from mild to severe.
• One may likely to have periods of active illness followed by
periods of remission.
• Signs and symptoms that are common to both Crohn's disease
and ulcerative colitis include:
• Diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Abdominal pain and cramping
• Blood in your stool
• Reduced appetite
• Unintended weight loss
Causes
• The exact cause of inflammatory bowel disease remains unknown.
• Previously, diet and stress were suspected, but now doctors know
that these factors may aggravate but aren't the cause of IBD.
• One possible cause is an immune system malfunction.
• When your immune system tries to fight off an invading virus or
bacterium, an atypical immune response causes the immune
system to attack the cells in the digestive tract, too.
• Several gene mutations have been associated with IBD.
• Heredity also seems to play a role in that IBD is more common in
people who have family members with the disease.
• However, most people with IBD don't have this family history.
Risk factors
• Age:
• Most people who develop IBD are diagnosed before they're 30
years old. But some people don't develop the disease until their 50s
or 60s.
• Race or ethnicity:
• Although IBD is more common in white people, it can occur in any
race. Cases are also increasing in other races and ethnicities.
• Family history:
• You're at higher risk if you have a close relative — such as a
parent, sibling or child — with the disease.
• Cigarette smoking:
• Cigarette smoking is the most important controllable risk factor
for developing Crohn's disease.
• Smoking may help prevent ulcerative colitis.
However, its harm to overall health outweighs
any benefit, and quitting smoking can improve
the general health of your digestive tract, as
well as provide many other health benefits.
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications:
• These include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB,
others), naproxen sodium (Aleve), diclofenac
sodium and others. These medications may
increase the risk of developing IBD or worsen
the disease in people who have IBD.