Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) - Symptoms and causes

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an umbrella term used to describe disorders that involve chronic inflammation of your digestive tract. COVID-19:Advice,updatesandvaccineoptions Weareopenforsafein-personcare. Learnmore: MayoClinicfactsaboutcoronavirusdisease2019(COVID-19) OurCOVID-19patientandvisitorguidelines,plustrustedhealthinformation Lateston COVID-19vaccination bysite: Arizonapatientvaccinationupdates Arizona, Floridapatientvaccinationupdates Florida, Rochesterpatientvaccinationupdates Rochesterand MayoClinicHealthSystempatientvaccinationupdates MCHS Skiptositenavigation SkiptoContent ThiscontentdoesnothaveanEnglishversion.ThiscontentdoesnothaveanArabicversion. SectionsforInflammatoryboweldisease(IBD)Symptoms&causesDiagnosis&treatmentDoctors&departmentsCareatMayoClinic Print Overview Digestivesystem Openpop-updialogbox Close Digestivesystem Digestivesystem Crohn'sdiseaseandulcerativecolitisarebothformsofinflammatoryboweldisease.Crohn'sdiseasemostcommonlyaffectsthecolonandthelastpartofthesmallintestine(ileum).Ulcerativecolitisaffectsonlythecolon. Gastroenterology&GISurgeryBlog ConnectwithothersandfollowthelatestadvancesintreatingCrohn'sdiseaseandulcerativecolitisonMayoClinicConnect. Inflammatoryboweldisease(IBD)isanumbrellatermusedtodescribedisordersthatinvolvechronicinflammationofyourdigestivetract.TypesofIBDinclude: Ulcerativecolitis.Thisconditioninvolvesinflammationandsores(ulcers)alongthesuperficialliningofyourlargeintestine(colon)andrectum. Crohn'sdisease.ThistypeofIBDischaracterizedbyinflammationoftheliningofyourdigestivetract,whichoftencaninvolvethedeeperlayersofthedigestivetract. BothulcerativecolitisandCrohn'sdiseaseusuallyarecharacterizedbydiarrhea,rectalbleeding,abdominalpain,fatigueandweightloss. IBDcanbedebilitatingandsometimesleadstolife-threateningcomplications.Products&ServicesBook:MayoCliniconDigestiveHealth SymptomsInflammatoryboweldiseasesymptomsvary,dependingontheseverityofinflammationandwhereitoccurs.Symptomsmayrangefrommildtosevere.Youarelikelytohaveperiodsofactiveillnessfollowedbyperiodsofremission. SignsandsymptomsthatarecommontobothCrohn'sdiseaseandulcerativecolitisinclude: Diarrhea Fatigue Abdominalpainandcramping Bloodinyourstool Reducedappetite Unintendedweightloss WhentoseeadoctorSeeyourdoctorifyouexperienceapersistentchangeinyourbowelhabitsorifyouhaveanyofthesignsandsymptomsofinflammatoryboweldisease.Althoughinflammatoryboweldiseaseusuallyisn'tfatal,it'saseriousdiseasethat,insomecases,maycauselife-threateningcomplications.   Thereisaproblemwith informationsubmittedforthisrequest.Review/updatethe informationhighlightedbelowandresubmittheform. GetthelatesthealthinformationfromMayoClinicdeliveredtoyourinbox. Subscribeforfreeandreceiveyourin-depthguideto digestivehealth,plusthelatestonhealthinnovationsandnews.Youcanunsubscribeatany time. Emailaddress ErrorEmailfieldisrequired ErrorIncludeavalidemailaddress FirstName(letusknowyourpreferredname) LastName Subscribe LearnmoreaboutMayoClinic’suseofdata. Toprovideyouwiththemostrelevantandhelpfulinformation,andunderstandwhich informationisbeneficial,wemaycombineyouremailandwebsiteusageinformationwith otherinformationwehaveaboutyou.IfyouareaMayoClinicpatient,thiscould includeprotectedhealthinformation.Ifwecombinethisinformationwithyourprotected healthinformation,wewilltreatallofthatinformationasprotectedhealth informationandwillonlyuseordisclosethatinformationassetforthinournoticeof privacypractices.Youmayopt-outofemailcommunicationsatanytimebyclickingon theunsubscribelinkinthee-mail. Thankyouforsubscribing Yourin-depthdigestivehealthguidewillbeinyourinboxshortly.Youwillalsoreceive emailsfromMayoCliniconthelatesthealthnews,research,andcare. Ifyoudon’treceiveouremailwithin5minutes,checkyourSPAMfolder,thencontactus [email protected]. Sorrysomethingwentwrongwithyoursubscription Please,tryagaininacoupleofminutes Retry RequestanAppointmentatMayoClinic CausesTheexactcauseofinflammatoryboweldiseaseremainsunknown.Previously,dietandstressweresuspected,butnowdoctorsknowthatthesefactorsmayaggravatebutaren'tthecauseofIBD. Onepossiblecauseisanimmunesystemmalfunction.Whenyourimmunesystemtriestofightoffaninvadingvirusorbacterium,anabnormalimmuneresponsecausestheimmunesystemtoattackthecellsinthedigestivetract,too.HeredityalsoseemstoplayaroleinthatIBDismorecommoninpeoplewhohavefamilymemberswiththedisease.However,mostpeoplewithIBDdon'thavethisfamilyhistory. Riskfactors Age.MostpeoplewhodevelopIBDarediagnosedbeforethey're30yearsold.Butsomepeopledon'tdevelopthediseaseuntiltheir50sor60s. Raceorethnicity.Althoughwhiteshavethehighestriskofthedisease,itcanoccurinanyrace. Familyhistory.You'reathigherriskifyouhaveacloserelative—suchasaparent,siblingorchild—withthedisease. Cigarettesmoking.CigarettesmokingisthemostimportantcontrollableriskfactorfordevelopingCrohn'sdisease. Smokingmayhelppreventulcerativecolitis.However,itsharmtooverallhealthoutweighsanybenefit,andquittingsmokingcanimprovethegeneralhealthofyourdigestivetract,aswellasprovidemanyotherhealthbenefits. Nonsteroidalanti-inflammatorymedications.Theseincludeibuprofen(Advil,MotrinIB,others),naproxensodium(Aleve),diclofenacsodiumandothers.ThesemedicationsmayincreasetheriskofdevelopingIBDorworsenthediseaseinpeoplewhohaveIBD. ComplicationsUlcerativecolitisandCrohn'sdiseasehavesomecomplicationsincommonandothersthatarespecifictoeachcondition.Complicationsfoundinbothconditionsmayinclude: Coloncancer.HavingulcerativecolitisorCrohn'sdiseasethataffectsmostofyourcoloncanincreaseyourriskofcoloncancer.Screeningforcancerbeginsusuallyabouteightto10yearsafterthediagnosisismade.Askyourdoctorwhenandhowfrequentlyyouneedtohavethistestdone. Skin,eyeandjointinflammation.Certaindisorders,includingarthritis,skinlesionsandeyeinflammation(uveitis),mayoccurduringIBDflare-ups. Medicationsideeffects.CertainmedicationsforIBDareassociatedwithasmallriskofdevelopingcertaincancers.Corticosteroidscanbeassociatedwithariskofosteoporosis,highbloodpressureandotherconditions. Primarysclerosingcholangitis.Inthiscondition,inflammationcausesscarringwithinthebileducts,eventuallymakingthemnarrowandgraduallycausingliverdamage. Bloodclots.IBDincreasestheriskofbloodclotsinveinsandarteries. ComplicationsofCrohn'sdiseasemayinclude: Bowelobstruction.Crohn'sdiseaseaffectsthefullthicknessoftheintestinalwall.Overtime,partsofthebowelcanthickenandnarrow,whichmayblocktheflowofdigestivecontents.Youmayrequiresurgerytoremovethediseasedportionofyourbowel. Malnutrition.Diarrhea,abdominalpainandcrampingmaymakeitdifficultforyoutoeatorforyourintestinetoabsorbenoughnutrientstokeepyounourished.It'salsocommontodevelopanemiaduetolowironorvitaminB-12causedbythedisease. Fistulas.Sometimesinflammationcanextendcompletelythroughtheintestinalwall,creatingafistula—anabnormalconnectionbetweendifferentbodyparts.Fistulasnearoraroundtheanalarea(perianal)arethemostcommonkind.Insomecases,afistulamaybecomeinfectedandformanabscess. Analfissure.Thisisasmalltearinthetissuethatlinestheanusorintheskinaroundtheanuswhereinfectionscanoccur.It'softenassociatedwithpainfulbowelmovementsandmayleadtoaperianalfistula. Complicationsofulcerativecolitismayinclude: Toxicmegacolon.Ulcerativecolitismaycausethecolontorapidlywidenandswell,aseriousconditionknownastoxicmegacolon. Aholeinthecolon(perforatedcolon).Aperforatedcolonmostcommonlyiscausedbytoxicmegacolon,butitmayalsooccuronitsown. Severedehydration.Excessivediarrheacanresultindehydration. MoreInformationInflammatoryboweldisease(IBD)careatMayoClinicIBDandcoloncancer:Howoftendoyouneedscreening? ByMayoClinicStaff Inflammatoryboweldisease(IBD)careatMayoClinic RequestanAppointmentatMayoClinic Diagnosis&treatment Nov.07,2020 Print Shareon:FacebookTwitter Showreferences FeldmanM,etal.Epidemiology,pathogenesis,anddiagnosisofinflammatoryboweldiseases.In:SleisengerandFordtran'sGastrointestinalandLiverDisease:Pathophysiology,Diagnosis,Management.11thed.Elsevier;2021.https://www.clinicalkey.com.AccessedJuly22,2020. GoldmanL,etal.,eds.Inflammatoryboweldisease.In:Goldman-CecilMedicine.26thed.Elsevier;2020.https://www.clinicalkey.com.AccessedJuly22,2020. Thefactsaboutinflammatoryboweldiseases.Crohn'sandColitisFoundation.https://site.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/resources/facts-about-inflammatory.html.AccessedJuly22,2020. Crohn'sdisease.NationalInstituteofDiabetesandDigestiveandKidneyDiseases.https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/crohns-disease.AccessedJuly22,2020. Screeningforcolorectalcancer:U.S.PreventiveServicesTaskForcerecommendationstatement.JAMA.2016;doi:10.1001/jama.2016.5989. KliegmanRM.Inflammatoryboweldiseases.In:NelsonTextbookofPediatrics.21sted.Elsevier;2020.https://www.clinicalkey.com.AccessedJuly22,2020. LichtensteinGR,etal.ACGclinicalguideline:ManagementofCrohn'sdiseaseinadults.AmericanJournalofGastroenterology.2018;doi:10.1038/ajg.2018.27. AbrahamB,etal.Antibioticsandprobioticsininflammatoryboweldisease:Whentousethem?FrontlineGastroenterology.2020;doi:10.1136/flgastro-2018-101057. WhatshouldIeat?Crohn'sandColitisFoundation.https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/diet-and-nutrition/what-should-i-eat.AccessedJuly27,2020. Mind-bodytherapies.Crohn'sandColitisFoundation.https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/complementary-medicine/mind-body-therapies.AccessedJuly27,2020. BrownAY.AllscriptsEPSi.MayoClinic.June23,2020. KaneSV(expertopinion).MayoClinic.Sept.11,2020. Related Digestivesystem IBDandcoloncancer:Howoftendoyouneedscreening? AssociatedProcedures Bariumenema Colonoscopy CTscan Flexiblesigmoidoscopy Homeenteralnutrition MRI Needlebiopsy X-ray Showmoreassociatedprocedures NewsfromMayoClinic MayoClinicMinute:Candiethelpwithinflammatoryboweldisease? April06,2021,03:00p.m.CDT MayoClinicQ&Apodcast:Theincreasingprevalenceofinflammatoryboweldisease March16,2021,04:45p.m.CDT Products&Services Book:MayoCliniconDigestiveHealth Inflammatoryboweldisease(IBD)Symptoms&causesDiagnosis&treatmentDoctors&departmentsCareatMayoClinic Advertisement MayoClinicdoesnotendorsecompaniesorproducts.Advertisingrevenuesupportsournot-for-profitmission. Advertising&Sponsorship Policy Opportunities AdChoices MayoClinicPress Checkoutthesebest-sellersandspecialoffersonbooksandnewslettersfromMayoClinic. TryMayoClinicHealthLetter-getFREEbookNEW-BackandNeckHealthMayoCliniconDigestiveHealthNEW-LiveYoungerLongerSimple,effectiveHomeRemedies CON-20312396 PatientCare&HealthInformation Diseases&Conditions Inflammatoryboweldisease(IBD)