About the disease
The term “Inflammatory Bowel Disease” encompasses a group of diseases that cause inflammation of the digestive tract. The most common among these diseases are colitis, Crohn’s disease and thrombosis of the mesenteric vessels. These inflammatory diseases can be either chronic or acute. In some cases, they can be life threatening and require immediate medical help.
Ulcerative colitis is probably the most common inflammatory bowel disease. Ulcers may develop in either the colon or the rectum, causing severe inflammation and pain. Crohn’s disease, which is also common but is more difficult to treat, is the inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract. It can affect the whole length of the alimentary canal, including the small and large intestines, and rectum. In some cases, people with inflammatory bowel disease may develop peritonitis as well. This is an inflammation of the inner lining of the stomach and it is usually caused by other infections.
Inflammatory bowel diseases can be dangerous, as they can cause the intestines to become narrowed or even obstructed. This may result in inner bleeding or prevent the sufferer from digesting food properly. Most commonly, inflammatory bowel diseases are caused by certain infections and harmful bacteria that the immune system has not been able to fight off. Therefore, people with a reduced immune system need to be vigilant about what they are eating at all times in order to prevent infection. People with a genetic predisposition need to be careful as well. 70% of all inflammatory bowel diseases start to manifest themselves before a person is 30.
Symptoms
- Severe pain in the abdomen
- Diarrhea
- Tenderness
- Indigestion
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Blood in the stool
- Weight loss
- Dehydration
Diagnosis
- Blood and urine tests can identify whether the patient has an infection that could be causing symptoms similar to those for inflammatory bowel disease. Infections can sometimes lead to the development of an inflammatory bowel disease.
- A stool sample test can find out if there is any blood in the patient’s stool and can also check for infection.
- A colonoscopy, whereby a fiber optic camera is passed down the large intestine, can determine whether or not the patient has granulomas, which are inflammatory cells that are common in Crohn's disease. During the colonoscopy, the doctor may also take a tissue sample of the colon, to rule out the possibility of colon cancer.
- An endoscopy, whereby a fiber optic camera is threaded into the patient’s abdomen, can be performed to examine the stomach and small intestine in order to determine whether they have colitis.
Treatment
- Conservative treatment: the patient may be prescribed special anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics to help fight infection, if this is what caused the inflammatory bowel disease to develop.
- Extensive bowel resection with abdominal sanitation is a surgical procedure whereby damaged sections of the intestine are removed. Parts of the small or large intestine may be resected and the remaining parts are connected together.
Authors: Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova, Dr. Sergey Pashchenko
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