Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) refers to a group of health issues that cause inflammation in the digestive system. The most common conditions are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The symptoms of IBD include diarrhea, fever, and stomach pain. IBD is treated with diet changes, medicine, and sometimes surgery.
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What Is Inflammatory Bowel Disease?
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a collective term that covers two conditions of the digestive tract: Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Both conditions cause chronic inflammation and can damage the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. IBD can have chronic symptoms or come in a series of flare-ups and periods of remission.
What are the types of inflammatory bowel disease?
Two main conditions sharing similar symptoms fall under inflammatory bowel disease:
- Crohn’s disease (CD) is inflammation in any portion of the intestinal tract, from the mouth to the colon. The inflammation is often in patches, mainly on the small intestine, and may even reach through layers of tissue. Crohn’s disease tends to be associated with pain in the lower right quadrant of the body and presents differently depending on the region of the intestine it affects.
- Ulcerative colitis (UC) is inflammation in the rectum or colon. This condition causes inflammation solely in the surface of the intestinal lining, which causes ulcers that bleed and produce pus. UC presents as bloody diarrhea with or without mucus. It is often associated with pain the upper or lower left quadrants of the body. Other symptoms include a recurring or constant feeling of having to evacuate your bowels, incomplete evacuation, and pain in the abdomen.
Both conditions have a genetic predisposition, meaning you are more likely to have IBD if someone in your family also has this condition. Neither ulcerative colitis nor Crohn’s disease is curable, and both can increase your risk of colorectal cancer.
How common is inflammatory bowel disease?
Inflammatory bowel disease is more common in people over age 45. More than 3 million people in the U.S. have some form of IBD.
What causes inflammatory bowel disease?
The exact cause of inflammatory bowel disease is unknown; however, the symptoms of IBD are brought on by eating and activating the digestive system. The immune system might respond too strongly to normal bacteria in the digestive system, resulting in inflammation.
Certain foods and drinks may trigger IBD, but the specifics differ for each person. For many people with IBD, high-fat foods, spicy foods, alcohol, and caffeine can trigger flare-ups. While stress might not cause flare-ups, it can worsen their effects.
Inflammatory bowel disease risk factors
Although the cause of IBD is unknown, there are several risk factors for it. IBD can lead to severe, even life-threatening issues if left untreated.
The risk factors of IBD include:
- Age – IBD is more likely to occur in people over 45.
- Ethnicity – IBD is more prevalent among Hispanics, non-Hispanic whites, and Jewish people of European descent.
- Family history – You are more likely to have IBD if someone in your family has IBD.
- Smoking – Smokers are more likely to have IBD.
Complications of inflammatory bowel disease
Left undiagnosed or untreated IBD can lead to many health complications, including:
- Bowel obstruction.
- Colon cancer.
- Dehydration.
- Depression and anxiety.
- Infections in the intestinal lining.
- Inflammation in other organs, such as the liver or pancreas.
- Iron-deficiency anemia.
- Kidney stones.
- Malnutrition.
- Open sores or tears.
- Severe PMS and menstrual symptoms.
- Toxic megacolon (a severe health issue where the large intestine swells and stops working).
- Trouble getting pregnant.
- Weak bones.
How can I reduce my risk of inflammatory bowel disease?
IBD is not a condition that can be prevented or cured. However, the symptoms can be managed.
To prevent developing bouts of IBS, it helps if you can:
- Avoid certain foods and drinks that trigger flare-ups.
- Exercise on a routine basis.
- Learn how to manage your stress.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease?
The symptoms of IBD can be mild or severe and might only occur as flare-ups or could chronically affect your health.
Common symptoms include:
- Bloating.
- Blood in your stool.
- Chronic abdominal pain.
- Constipation alternating with diarrhea.
- Fatigue.
- Fever.
- Gassiness.
- Joint pain.
- Loss of appetite.
- Rashes.
- Severe abdominal pain or cramping.
- The urge to move your bowels without being able to.
- Vomiting.
- Weight loss.
When should I see a doctor about my inflammatory bowel disease symptoms?
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms above regularly, either chronically or intermittently, you should contact your doctor about testing for IBD. If you notice blood or mucus in your stool, you should contact your doctor immediately.
How Do You Diagnose Inflammatory Bowel Disease?
Based on your symptoms, doctors will need to run a series of tests to learn if you have IBD.
Tests to diagnose inflammatory bowel disease
These tests include:
How Do You Treat Inflammatory Bowel Disease?
Unfortunately, IBD is not a curable condition, but the symptoms can be managed. In some severe cases, there are surgical options to prevent the worsening of the condition.
Key treatments for IBD include:
Dietary and lifestyle changes to treat IBD
Identifying and avoiding the foods that cause flare-ups in your symptoms is the most accessible way to manage your IBD symptoms. Exercising regularly and eating a Mediterranean, low-fiber, or low-residue diet might make it easier for your digestive system to work.
Other changes include:
- Drinking lots of fluids – Keeps you hydrated and helps manage diarrhea.
- Eating smaller, more frequent meals – Prevents overeating and eases digestion.
- Finding support – Connecting with others who have IBD or talking with a therapist can help manage the emotional aspects of the condition.
- Getting enough sleep – At least seven hours of sleep are needed to reset the body’s systems each day.
- Reducing stress – Stress can worsen IBD symptoms. Stress management techniques like deep breathing, meditation, and mindfulness can help.
- Taking supplements – Ask your doctor if you can benefit from supplements like calcium, folic acid, iron, vitamins D and B12, zinc, and/or probiotics.
Medication to treat IBD
Common medicine types used to treat IBD include:
- Aminosalicylates – Also called 5-aminosalicylic acids or 5-ASA, these drugs help reduce inflammation in the digestive tract.
- Biologics – Made from living sources, such as humans, animals, or microorganisms, biologics block the chemicals in the immune system that trigger inflammation.
- Corticosteroids – Strong anti-inflammatory steroids that work quickly. They are usually given in large doses at first, then the dosage is tapered (lowered), and eventually stopped.
- Immunomodulators – Also called immunosuppressive agents, immunomodulators block the immune reaction that leads to inflammation.
Surgery for IBD
There are a few surgical options to treat severe IBD symptoms:
- Colectomy – Removal of all or part of the colon.
- Intestinal stricturoplasty – Surgery to widen the parts of your intestinal tract that have narrowed due to inflammation and scar tissue build-up.
- Proctocolectomy – Removal of all or part of the colon and rectum. This surgery is usually combined with an ileostomy, which is a procedure where the ileum segment of the intestine is diverted out of an ostomy (artificial hole in the abdomen).
- Small bowel resection – Procedure to remove a damaged segment of the small intestine. It is commonly performed to treat the complications of Crohn’s disease, like abscess, bowel obstruction, fistula, or perforation.
How effective is treatment?
Because inflammatory bowel disease is not curable, all of these treatments and procedures are only measures to reduce the complications or symptoms of IBD. Living with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease means lifelong condition management. So, while treatments can be very effective and successful in treating immediate complications of the conditions, it can also mean you may need further intervention to manage your IBD symptoms.
