Inflammatory bowel disease

What is it?

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) describes two conditions: ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

Ulcerative colitis only affects the colon (large intestine). Crohn’s disease can affect any part of the digestive system but often the small intestine. People of any age can get IBD, but it’s usually diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 40.

What are the symptoms?

Pain, cramps or swelling in the tummy; recurring or bloody diarrhoea; weight loss and extreme tiredness. Some people may have additional symptoms such as fever, vomiting and anaemia.

There may be times when the symptoms are severe (flare-ups), followed by long periods when there are few or no symptoms at all (remission).

What are the causes?

It’s unclear what causes IBD, but a combination of factors is thought to play a part, such as genetics or a problem with the immune system. People who smoke are twice as likely to get Crohn’s disease than non-smokers.

What’s the treatment?

There’s currently no cure for ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease.

Treatment aims to relieve the symptoms and prevent them returning, and includes specific diets, lifestyle changes, medicines and surgery.

Medicines used to treat ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease include: immunosuppressants to reduce the activity of the immune system and biologics – specific antibodybased treatments given by injection and antibiotics.

It’s estimated 1 in 5 people with ulcerative colitis have severe symptoms that don’t improve with medication. In these cases, surgery may be necessary to remove an inflamed section of large bowel (colon). Around 60-75% of people with Crohn’s disease will need surgery to repair damage to their digestive system and treat complications of Crohn’s disease.

People with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are also at increased risk of getting bowel cancer. Your doctor will recommend regular bowel check-ups to reduce the risk of colon cancer.