Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
By: Paul FryattTotal Views: 120, Word Count: 528,
Inflammatory bowel diseases are also known as IBD. More than 1 million Americans are having IBD which occurs in the age between 15 to 30. Inflammatory bowel disease is basically known to be irritable bowel syndrome, a combination of two chronic diseases causing inflammation of the intestines. These diseases are ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Ulcerative Colitis
- It is an inflammatory disease of the large intestine called colon. In this disease, the inner lining of the intestine becomes red and swollen and develops ulcers.
- Ulcerative colitis is severe in the rectal area which leads to frequent diarrhea. As a result of this, mucus and blood frequently become visible in the stool, when the lining of the colon gets damaged.
Crohn's Disease
· In case of Crohn’s disease, the last part of the small intestine of patients get affected which is known as terminal ileum.
· This disease is not limited to these areas. This can attack any part of the digestive tract.
· Crohn's disease results in inflammation which extends deeper into the intestine wall layers and slowly into the entire bowel wall. It is totally different from ulcerative colitis which affects only the lining of the bowel.
Causes of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
· There are many factors that might be involved. These include environment, diet, and genetics which are the part of our life.
· Current studies show that genetic defect affects the immune system which in turn triggers in response to an aberrant agent, for e.g. bacteria or virus.
· It is also known that smoking can enhance the development of Crohn's disease.
Signs and Symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
· The most common symptoms of inflammatory bowel diseases are diarrhea and abdominal pain.
· Diarrhea can take place in the range from mild to severe i.e. up to more than 20 trips to toilet per day. When diarrhea is severe, it can result in dehydration or rapid heartbeat, along with drop in blood pressure.
· Sometimes, IBD may cause constipation in some patients. This can happen as a result of a partial obstruction i.e. stricture in the intestines.
· The lost nutrients and fluid due to diarrhea and chronic inflammation can also lead to weight loss, fever, fatigue, and malnutrition.
· Abdominal cramping is a symptom of IBD, which is a result of irritation of the nerves; muscles that have control on intestinal contractions.
· This can also cause other health problems outside the digestive system. Some patients with IBD can show inflammation in the body including eyes, skin, joints, and liver.
· Sometimes, skin tags like hemorrhoids or abscesses may appear around the anus.
· Inflammatory bowel disease also has its result in the body by delaying puberty. IBD can also cause growth problems in kids and teens due to disturbance in getting nutrients from food.
Inflammatory bowel diseases can be diagnosed by blood tests, or colonoscopy. Barium study of intestine also gives information as to whether you have inflammatory bowel diseases or not. So do visit your doctor as soon as possible in above situations.
About the Author
Paul Fryatt, M.D. has been in this profession from last 24 years. He made great achievements in his profession. He made an initiative to open a Family Allergy Clinic in 1985 to help his patients who were not reacting to traditional allergy treatment programs. Moreover he has explored the treatment to overcome allergy symptoms to reclaim quality of life through his convenient, no-shots therapy.
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