ULCERATIVE COLITIS AND CROHN’S DISEASE

Inflammatory bowel disease is a term used to describe two chronic disorders which cause inflammation of the gut.  Both conditions could also affect parts of the body outside of the bowel and can be associated with major effects on general health. 

Ulcerative colitis is inflammation of the superficial lining of the large bowel (the colon).  If only the last section of the large bowel (the rectum) is involved is it called ulcerative proctitis. 

Crohn’s disease involves inflammation of the full thickness of the intestine rather than just the superficial lining.  Unlike ulcerative colitis Crohn’s disease may involve any part of the digestive tract.

Microscopic colitis  (collagenous colitis, lymphocytic colitis) is  a microscopic inflammation of the colon which can only be diagnosed by biopsy.

Ulcerative colitis and particularly Crohn’s disease occur in people with genetic susceptibility  who encounter precipitating environmental stimuli. 

Common symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel disease are diarrhoea, rectal bleeding, abdominal pain and discomfort.  Less common symptoms include fever, fatigue, lethargy, loss of appetite, weight loss, liver disease and skin disease, arthritis both in the back and large joints, eye diseases, gall stones, kidney stones and osteoporosis.

Diagnosis is usually made by sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy.  These diseases  may be associated with severe complications including toxic megacolon, perforation, haemorrhage, bowel strictures, abscesses and fistulae.

Medical treatment of acute disease involves cortisone derivatives (steroids) in some form or other.  Amino salicylic acid compounds and immuno suppressants such as Imuran are used to prevent relapses.

To see an update on PENTASA please see below

The clinical cause, diagnosis and treatment of these disorders is extremely complicated. For full details click here assets/documents/Inflammatory Booklet v7.pdf 



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