Things To Know About Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affects 10 million people worldwide. Every year on May 19, World IBD day is observed to spread awareness of inflammatory bowel disease. On this day, several communities hold events to educate people about the #IBD and raise funds to help patients who are unable to bear treatment expenses.

What is inflammatory bowel disease?

Inflammatory bowel disease is more like a category of complications that irritate, inflame, and cause swelling of the digestive tract. The digestive tract, consisting of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and bowel, breaks down foods, absorbs nutrients, and passes out bodily wastes. Inflammation can result in painful symptoms that can be quite disrupting. The two main types of inflammatory bowel disease are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Crohn’s disease

This condition can occur in any part of the #digestive tract, from the mouth to the anus. The affected areas are usually in the form of patches, affecting healthy tissues of the GI tract. Most cases of Crohn’s disease involve the occurrence of inflamed patches in the last section of the small and large intestine. Its reason, however, is unknown. The number of annual cases of Crohn’s disease has increased in the US. It commonly occurs in people between the ages of 20 and 29. The symptoms of Crohn’s disease include pain, ulcers in the mouth and gut, fatigue, diarrhea, anemia, weight loss, anal fissures, and anal bleeding.

Ulcerative colitis

This condition occurs more usually in the colon or large intestine. The areas of inflammation caused by this condition are continuous, unlike Crohn’s disease. The different classes of ulcerative colitis include the following.

•Ulcerative proctitis: This mild form of #ulcerative #colitis remains contained within the rectum.

•Universal Colitis: This form affects the entire colon.

•Proctosigmoiditis: This form infects the rectum and the lower part of the colon.

•Distal Colitis: This class spreads in the rectum and the left side of the colon.

•Acute Severe Ulcerative Colitis: This rare but severe form of ulcerative colitis infects the entire colon.

The most common symptoms of ulcerative colitis are #abdominal #pain and #diarrhea with spots of blood and mucus.

What causes IBD?

Although per-year cases of IBD grow every year, its reasons remain unknown. Many doctors initially believed that it was due to diet and stress. Even though these factors can aggravate IBD, they are no longer regarded as reasons for this condition. Instead, doctors now believe that this condition may occur due to a problem within the immune system. Sometimes, the immune system may go into a hyper-drive, causing it to attack healthy cells of the GI tract. Genetics, age, ethnicity, tobacco use, and alcohol consumption are the top reasons for this condition.

Treatment of IBD

Before treatment, doctors will want to diagnose this condition. Because there is no cure for IBD available, your best bet is to manage your symptoms to stay healthy. Your doctor will take samples of your blood and stools to run a diagnosis to know whether you have this condition.

If you have IBD, your doctor may prescribe you some anti-inflammatory drugs. Since these drugs can have a lot of side effects, make sure to work with your doctor to prevent those additional discomforts.

You may also need to bring some healthy changes to your lifestyle to keep painful symptoms at bay. Those include modifications in your diet plan and engaging in healthy physical activity.

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