Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory Bowel Disease General Information

Inflammatory Bowel Disease is the generic medical term given to two affections of the digestive tract, typically affecting the large intestine and the last section of the small intestine. This medical condition should not be confused with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). Ulcerative colitis, the more common of the two affections, is an inflammation of the large intestine in which the intestine inner lining swells and ulcerates. This condition can often cause diarrhea, especially in severe cases where the last section of the intestine is affected, close to the rectum. Often the stool of the affected patient will be bloody and may contain mucus from the intestinal lining.

The second affection that may appear in such cases is Crohn's disease. This condition affects the terminal ileum (the last section of the small intestine) and may extend to parts of the large intestine; in severe cases, this affection may extend to other regions of the digestive tract as well. The infection caused by this disease is more profound, extending in the tissues beneath the intestinal lining and possibly to the entire intestine wall.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Symptoms

Although the patient may be suffering from any of the above conditions, the symptoms that he or she may present are very similar. The most commonly encountered are diarrhea accompanied by abdominal pain, and these can range in intensity from mild to severe. In severe cases, if the affection is left untreated, diarrhea may lead to the dehydration of the patient, coupled with blood pressure drop and palpitations. Anemia may occur as well, due to continued blood loss through diarrhea.

At times, Inflammatory Bowel Disease may cause constipation in the patient, due to a partial obstruction of the intestines or the rectum caused by the inflammation. Other symptoms that the patient may or may not experience are fever and fatigue, and weight loss coupled with malnutrition may appear due to poor absorption of the food. Pain under the form of abdominal cramps may accompany the affection, as the muscles and nerves that regulate the gastrointestinal tract contractions become irritated and sore.

There are a number of other medical conditions that may occur as complications to a case of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and these are not necessarily limited to the gastrointestinal tract. Inflammations of other parts of the body have been noted – the inflammation may be generalized or may remained localized in a certain area, such as in the eyes, skin, joints or liver. Several abscesses may develop in the area near the anus of the patient. In children and teens, Inflammatory Bowel Disease may have severe consequences such as puberty delay or problems with the normal growth rate, mainly caused by the poor absorption of the nutrients leading to a shortage of the necessary substances in the organism.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Treatment

Cases of Inflammatory Bowel Disease may be hard to diagnose. The symptoms that this affection presents are similar to those of a large number of other affections of the gastrointestinal tract, and specific tests must be performed in order to precisely determine the medical condition that the patient is suffering from. The diagnosis is normally placed after a colonoscopy of the patient with biopsy study of intestinal lesions, but the examining physician may also require several other tests to determine if the patient is affected with any other related conditions. Blood tests are usually performed to check for inflammation, anemia and infections. Stool testing for signs of blood may also be performed as well as an endoscopy or colonoscopy to detect any lesions and inflammations in the esophagus, stomach and intestines; on rare occasions, the examining physician may also require a barium-enhanced X-ray of the intestines.

The treatment of choice for mild to severe cases of Inflammatory Bowel Disease is medication therapy. Generally the health care specialist will prescribe a combined treatment, with anti-inflammatory drugs that serve to reduce the inflammation in the affected parts of the digestive tract as well as immunosuppressive agents that help protect the organism from the automated reactions of the immune system. The examining health care provider may prescribe drugs such as 6-mercaptopurine, azathioprine (Imuran), prednisone, methotrexate or infliximab (Remicade) but most commonly a medication compound derived from mesalamine. Steroids may be used to prevent and control disease outbreaks. Biologicals have also been used to help relieve the symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and the most remarkable results have been reached by applying a therapy with IV Remicade.

Drug treatment is generally initiated with the administration of anti-inflammatory agents in order to bring the inflammation under control. Once that has been achieved, the health care specialist may choose to switch to a less potent medicine so that the condition is kept in remission. In Inflammatory Bowel Disease cases where the disease proves to be resistant to therapy, the treatment may be changed to incorporate immunosuppressive drugs as noted above. However, when deciding to change the therapy, the patient should consult with the examining health care specialist as the drug prescription and dosage may vary greatly related to the patient’s age, general health condition and medical history.

In cases where the Inflammatory Bowel Disease does not respond to normal medication treatment, the examining health care specialist may advise the patient to undergo surgery. There are several procedures that may help in curing the condition and hey may also depend on the actual affection causing the inflammation. If the patient is suffering from Crohn's disease, surgery may not be indicated as the procedures may cause further complications. Cases have been noted where the patient was affected by short bowel syndrome after undergoing Crohn's disease treatment based on surgical procedures. However, ulcerative colitis can be surgically treated with a very high of success through a large array of surgical operations, such as strictureplasty, colostomy, ileostomy, and / or bowel resection.