Inflammatory bowel disease
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Inflammatory Bowel Disease Main page |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] ; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Aditya Ganti M.B.B.S. [2] Synonyms and keywords:
Overview
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract that represents 2 distinctive disorders, Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis. Both disorders are characterized by unpredictable exacerbations and remissions. The most common time of onset of IBD is during the preadolescent/adolescent era and young adulthood. IBD may also be classified according to age at onset pediatric onset (<17 yr), early onset (<10 yr), very early onset (<6 yr), infant/toddler onset (0-2 yr), and neonatal onset IBD. Genetic and environmental factors are involved in the pathogenesis of IBD. A dysregulated immune response to environmental factors in a genetically susceptible host involving activation of cytokines, triggering a cascade of reactions results in bowel inflammation. The prevalence of Crohn disease in the United States is much lower for Hispanics and Asians than for whites and blacks. It is usually possible to distinguish between ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease by the clinical presentation and radiologic, endoscopic, and histopathologic findings. Common symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease include persistent diarrhea, abdominal pain, rectal bleeding/bloody stools, weight loss and fatigue. IBD is diagnosed using a combination of endoscopy for Crohn’s disease or colonoscopy for ulcerative colitis and imaging studies, such as contrast radiography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or computed tomography (CT).