{"id":2219,"date":"2013-10-02T17:00:09","date_gmt":"2013-10-02T21:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/med.sites.unc.edu\/medicine\/medicine\/gi\/ibd\/ibd\/about-ibd\/"},"modified":"2024-09-19T09:35:41","modified_gmt":"2024-09-19T13:35:41","slug":"about-ibd","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/medicine\/gi\/ibd\/about-ibd\/","title":{"rendered":"About IBD"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Factors
Factors Involved in the Evolution of IBD<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Inflammatory bowel disease or \u201cIBD\u201d encompasses two major conditions: ulcerative colitis and Crohn\u2019s disease. Both lead to chronic inflammation in the intestine, though each has specific characteristics. It is not known what causes the inflammation, but it is hypothesized that both genetic factors and environmental exposures are contributors. According to this theory, intestinal inflammation develops in genetically susceptible individuals after an initial environmental or infectious trigger.<\/p>\n

What is Ulcerative Colitis? <\/strong><\/p>\n

The term \u201c-itis\u201d refers to inflammation, thus ulcerative colitis is inflammation of the colon. Unlike Crohn\u2019s disease, ulcerative colitis or \u201cUC\u201d affects only the colon (the large bowel) and causes inflammation and ulceration of the lining of the colon. Different amounts of the colon may be affected, but the inflammation is always continuous and always involves the rectum. The inflammation can include the rectum alone (\u201cproctitis\u201d), extend from the rectum up to the left colon (\u201cleft-sided colitis\u201d), or involve the entire colon (\u201cpancolitis\u201d).<\/p>\n

Symptoms of ulcerative colitis often include diarrhea, blood in the stool, and abdominal or rectal pain. Patients often have \u201curgency,\u201d meaning they have to get to a bathroom right away. They may also feel like they haven\u2019t completely emptied their bowels. Although diarrhea is the most common symptom of ulcerative colitis, some patients may actually experience constipation. Other symptoms include fever, weight loss, or low blood counts (anemia). Inflammation can also affect other parts of the body and cause rashes, joint pains, or eye changes.<\/p>\n

What is Crohn\u2019s Disease? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Crohn\u2019s disease can affect anywhere along the gastrointestinal tract from the mouth to the anus. Unlike ulcerative colitis, the inflammation is not always continuous and there can be areas of normal bowel in between areas of inflamed bowel. Crohn\u2019s disease can cause inflammation of just the intestinal lining or can cause deeper inflammation. Deep inflammation can affect the full thickness of the bowel wall and can lead to complications of Crohn\u2019s disease. These complications include stricture (or narrowing) of the bowel, abscess (or infection), and fistulae, which are abnormal connections between two parts of the body. Fistula can occur between two parts of the intestine, between the intestine and the skin, or between the intestine and other nearby organs like the bladder or vagina.<\/p>\n

Symptoms of Crohn\u2019s disease can be more variable than ulcerative colitis and depend on what part of the bowel is affected. If the colon is involved then symptoms can be very similar to ulcerative colitis, with diarrhea and passage of blood or mucus. If the small intestine is involved, then symptoms may include diarrhea and vitamin or nutrient deficiencies due to decreased absorption in the inflamed intestine. If there is a narrowing or blockage in the bowel then patients may have crampy abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, or decreased bowel movements. If Crohn\u2019s disease affects the skin near the anus then patients can have drainage, pain, or swelling of the perianal area. Like ulcerative colitis, Crohn\u2019s disease can cause inflammation of other parts of the body. The most common are inflammation of the joints (arthritis), skin or eyes. Rare sites of inflammation include the liver and bile ducts, pericardium (sac surrounding the heart), pancreas, and blood (leading to blood clots).<\/p>\n

What is Indeterminate Colitis or IBD-U? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Sometimes your doctor may use the term \u201cindeterminate colitis\u201d or IBD-U. This means that we\u2019re not quite sure if the inflammation of the colon is from Crohn\u2019s disease or ulcerative colitis. About 5-10% of patients with IBD carry the diagnosis of indeterminate colitis or IBD-U. It doesn\u2019t make a big difference because treatments for both are similar and with time things may become clearer.<\/p>\n

Diagnosis<\/strong><\/p>\n

IBD is diagnosed by a combination of patient history, imaging, blood work, stool analyses and endoscopic evaluation (usually colonoscopy and\/or upper endoscopy). Your doctor may order blood work to look for signs of inflammation or specific deficiencies (such as iron deficiency) and also exclude an intestinal infection with stool tests. Different types of imaging can also identify inflammation in the intestine. Generally, an upper endoscopy or colonoscopy can be done to look directly at the bowel and take biopsies of the affected tissue. Sometimes, a pill camera test is used to look at the small bowel that is beyond the reach of our endoscopes. Putting together all of the testing can help your doctor make a diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease.<\/p>\n

Treatment<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many treatments for Crohn\u2019s disease and ulcerative colitis overlap. Medications may be used alone or in combination. Your doctor may choose which medications to use based on type of disease, severity, and other medical conditions you may have. The goals of treatment are to decrease inflammation and improve symptoms and quality of life. For more information on specific medications please see the Crohn\u2019s and Colitis Foundation IBD Medication Guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some forms of IBD may require surgery due to stricture or narrowing, infection, fistula formation, or severe inflammation unresponsive to medications. The UNC Multidisciplinary Center is designed to facilitate a team approach to your care before, during, and after surgery.<\/p>\n

IBD and Pregnancy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most IBD medications are safe to continue throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding. The American Gastroenterological Association has information and guidelines for treatment of IBD during pregnancy at the IBD Parenthood Project<\/a>. Our providers are here to help if you are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Inflammatory bowel disease or \u201cIBD\u201d encompasses two major conditions: ulcerative colitis and Crohn\u2019s disease. Both lead to chronic inflammation in the intestine, though each has specific characteristics. It is not known what causes the inflammation, but it is hypothesized that both genetic factors and environmental exposures are contributors. According to this theory, intestinal inflammation develops … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15955,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-2219","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","odd"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAbout IBD - UNC Multidisciplinary Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Center<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/medicine\/gi\/ibd\/about-ibd\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"About IBD - UNC Multidisciplinary Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Center\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Inflammatory bowel disease or \u201cIBD\u201d encompasses two major conditions: ulcerative colitis and Crohn\u2019s disease. 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