Inflammatory Bowel Disease Health Video

Inflammatory bowel disease is a group of inflammatory conditions of the large intestine and, in some cases, the small intestine. Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are examples. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and treatments for inflammatory bowel disease in this health video.

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See a doctor if you have bloody stool
See a doctor if you have ongoing diarrhea
See a doctor if you have an ongoing fever

About this Author

Dr. Susan McGladdery is a medical graduate from Oxford University in the UK and has a Master's Degree in Medical Sciences from Cambridge University. She has been a member of the Royal College of Physicians since 1991 and a member of the American Academy of Urgent Care since 2006. She trained as a Family Physician in the UK in Oxford and then in London. In a medical career that spans over 20 years, she has worked as a doctor in 5 countries on 3 continents and cared for patients from a multitude of different nationalities and backgrounds. Dr. McGladdery joined FirstMed Centers in mid 2002 and became Regional Medical Director in 2003.

SUSAN MCGLADERRY, BM, BCH, MRCP: Hello. My name is Dr. Susan McGladerry. I'm the medical director from FirstMed Centers in Budapest, Hungary. I'd like to give you some information about inflammatory bowel disease. There are two common forms of inflammatory bowel disease: Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. In these conditions, the lining of the digestive tract becomes inflamed causing problems of severe diarrhea and abdominal pain. They are very painful and debilitating, and sometimes even life threatening conditions. In Crohn's disease, the inflammation often spreads deep into the layers of the affected tissue, typically occurring in patches anywhere in the digestive tract. Ulcerative colitis on the other hand usually only affects the inner most layer of the large intestine in the colon, in the rectum. It occurs not it patches but it is in continuous stretches of the colon. Symptoms are very variable; there may be pain, abdominal cramp, diarrhea, bleeding, weight loss, fever, and anemia. The causes of these conditions are not well known. There may be genetic and immunological factors. These conditions particularly affect adults usually with onset in the 30s and predominantly affect people in the northern hemisphere. So when should you see your doctor? If you have abdominal pain or blood in the stool or if you have ongoing bouts of diarrhea that don't respond to the normal over-the-counter medications and particularly if you have an associated fever lasting for more than a day or two. How is inflammatory bowel disease diagnosed? Your doctor will need to make a full examination and also to run some tests. These will include blood tests, endoscopy usually in the form of a colonoscopy, and probably some other imaging as well. What are the complications of inflammatory bowel disease? There may be acute problems with obstruction in Crohn's disease. In ulcerative colitis, there can be a very dangerous toxic dilatation of the colon. Both ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease also increase your risk of colon cancer approximately 10% of patients with inflammatory bowel disease will go on to develop a cancer, and the risk is greatest after the inflammatory bowel disease has been present and active for 10 years. This is especially true if the entire colon is affected. So, if you've had a diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease for more than 8 or 10 years, it's important to have a regular screening colonoscopy which should be made at least every one or two years. In terms of treatment, medical therapies can greatly reduce the signs and the symptoms of disease. There is no cure for either condition but long-term remission is possible with good medical care.