IBD at a glance

Inflammatory Bowel Disease, or IBD for short, is a chronic inflammatory relapsing disease that now affects about 1 in 400 people in the UK [1].  The two disease states associated with IBD are Ulcerative Colitis (UC), which mainly affects the large bowel and rectum, and Crohn’s Disease (CD), which affects any area from the mouth to the anus.

IBD is typically diagnosed in early adulthood and, for Ulcerative Colitis, in the sixth decade. 

Common symptoms of IBD include:

• Inflammation of gut mucosa
• Ulcers
• Weight loss
• Diarrhoea
• Growth failure
• Lethargy
• Abdominal pain

However, extra-intestinal manifestations in Crohn’s disease including joint pain and uveitis, are also reported. 

The aim in the management of IBD is maintenance of remission, mucosal healing and improving quality of life.  Treatment of IBD includes medical therapy such as cortico-steroids, immunomodulators and biologicals, nutritional therapy and surgery.