Inflammatory Bowel Disease

About Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory Bowel Disease IBD encompasses Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis, chronic inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal tract. IBD affects approximately 6 to 8 million people worldwide, with increasing incidence in newly industrialized countries. Crohns disease can affect any part of the GI tract from mouth to anus and involves transmural inflammation. Ulcerative colitis affects only the colon and rectum with inflammation limited to the mucosa. Symptoms include chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss, fatigue, and rectal bleeding. Extraintestinal manifestations include arthritis, skin lesions erythema nodosum, eye inflammation uveitis, and liver disease primary sclerosing cholangitis. The cause involves genetic susceptibility NOD2, ATG16L1 genes, immune dysregulation, and environmental factors. Treatment includes aminosalicylates, corticosteroids, immunomodulators azathioprine, methotrexate, biologics anti TNF infliximab, adalimumab, anti integrin vedolizumab, and anti IL 12 23 ustekinumab. Surgery may be needed for complications.