Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is general term for ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, disorder of unknown cause which result with large or small intestine inflammation.
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It is more frequently diagnosed in patients between 15 and 40 years of age and patients between 50 and 80 years of age. Inflammatory bowel disease appears in around 2 percent of children under 10 and around 30 percent of young people between 10 and 19 years old.
Although causes of inflammatory bowel disease are still unknown and men and women become ill equally, genetic and environmental factors play an important role. Around 25 of patients with some of inflammatory bowel disease have family history and the risk rises if mother, brother or sister also had IBD. Inflammatory bowel disease is more frequent in the developed countries which points to environmental condition and factors like nutrition.
Some researches found a link between large input of animal origin fats in organism and developing of ulcerative colitis. Large amounts of sugar, but not from a fruits, are negatively connected with both diseases. On the contrary, large water impute and nutrition enriched with fruits, C vitamin and magnesium showed less risk in either cases while large impute of potassium and vegetables positively reflected only on patients with Crohn's disease.
Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory disease of large intestine. Ulcers appear on the inside of large intestine wall or on it mucosa, provoking frequent diarrhea, blood and pus in stool. Inflammation is usually stronger in sigmoid intestine (S shaped intestine) and rectum, and it usually reduces in upper parts of large intestine. Ten years research showed that 87 percent of ulcerative colitis patients had complete remission after just one attack and just 8 percent of it developed chronicle condition.
Crohn's disease is an inflammation which spreads in deeper layers of intestine wall. It is frequently situated in the second part of small intestine and in the first part of large intestine. But, disorder may develop in any part of digestive system including anus, stomach, gullet, and even mouth. In patient with Crohn's disease recidivisms are the rule.
Both ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease share many identical symptoms and at the same time they are different in their essential characteristics. Both are chronic diseases and their symptoms appear in young adults. Symptoms may be mild or very strong, they can develop gradually or appear abruptly. Recidivism frequency and symptoms intensity also fluctuates depending on the season of the year. The risk is lower during the summer and higher during autumn and winter.
The most frequent symptom in both cases is diarrhea. Blood in stool can be visible especially in a case of ulcerative colitis. Convulsions can appear because of intestinal contractions or they can point to serious conditions like intestinal wall perforation. High temperature, fatigue and loss of appetite are characteristics of both diseases.
Crohn's disease is mild if doctor can't detect any mass in patient's stomach by palpation, if number of red blood cells are normal or almost normal and patient has the right weight. Also, if patient has no pain in stomach or if pain is mild, and if patient feels good without any complication in digestive system.
Crohn's disease is serious if patient has so many stools that he needs emergent medical attention and medications; when his red blood test results are very bad; when he looses weight, or has complications like pain in joints, eye inflammation, skin redness and ulcers; higher temperature and pain in lower right part of a stomach (that place couldn't point of actually spot of disturbance).
Ulcerative colitis is mild if patient have four or less stools a day, blood in stools from time to time, if number of red blood cells, test results of haemoglobin and pulse are correct, and if X-ray result of large intestine doesn't point on some changes.
It is serious if patient has six or more stools a day, has frequent or constant appearance of blood in stools, higher temperature, fast pulse, anaemia, abnormal X-ray result of large intestine, pain in stomach during palpation and possibly flatulence. ■
Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory disease of large intestine. Ulcers appear on the inside of large intestine wall or on it mucosa, provoking frequent diarrhea, blood and pus in stool. Inflammation is usually stronger in sigmoid intestine (S shaped intestine) and rectum, and it usually reduces in upper parts of large intestine. Ten years research showed that 87 percent of ulcerative colitis patients had complete remission after just one attack and just 8 percent of it developed chronicle condition.