Inflammatory Bowel Disease Diagnosis and Treatment

By Syed O. Hasan, MD

GI Associates of Maryland

. https://giassocmd.com/

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Inflammatory Bowel Disease Diagnosis and Treatment

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a group of two major kinds of chronic intestinal disorders that cause often severe symptoms that can be challenging to control. The two types, Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, are similar but have some different features.

Both are considered autoimmune diseases, which means they are caused by our immune system creating an abnormal response against our own digestive tract, which leads to inflammation. This causes abdominal pain and diarrhea, which is often bloody. Patients can have issues with weight loss, anorexia and malnutrition due to the symptoms.

Ulcerative colitis tends to only involve the colon or large intestine, whereas Crohn's disease can also involve the small intestine as well. Both diseases usually present early in life, usually in late teens or early 20's, however can present at any age.

There is a growing incidence of inflammatory bowel disease worldwide and the leading theory behind the cause has to do with a combination of genes as well as exposure to different bacteria that may trigger the immune system to start an abnormal response.

Diagnosis almost always involves doing a colonoscopy to look inside the intestine and be able to see the inflammation directly. Sampling of the lining of the intestines helps to further analyze the cells and get a better idea of the severity of the disease. Blood work and X-rays are also helpful in diagnosis and management.

There are a wide range of treatment options that usually are based on how severe the disease and symptoms are. Patients often times go into what is called remission, which means the medications work to heal the inflammation and control all the symptoms. Despite that response, it is usually recommended to remain on therapy life long to prevent relapses. When medical treatments are not working, surgery is sometimes necessary to control the issues that develop with ongoing inflammation in the intestines.

It is important to talk to your doctor or seek care immediately if you are having chronic abdominal pain and diarrhea, especially if there is bleeding involved as these may be early signs of IBD. In most cases, early diagnosis and management leads to far better outcomes.

As newer treatment options continue to evolve, our ability to treat these disorders has improved drastically over the years leading to patients suffering with IBD being able to live more normal lives.