Any condition, e.g. Crohn’s disease, colitis or ileitis, in which the bowel becomes inflamed.
A general term used to refer jointly to chronic ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease. Both diseases cause recurrent bouts of intestinal inflammation that include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal pain. Both diseases damage the digestive tract, can cause complications in other parts of the body, and can increase the risk of colon cancer. Treatment usually involves the use of medications that reduce inflammation.
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are chronic inflammatory diseases characterized by relapsing and remitting episodes over many years. The diseases are similar and are both classified as IBD, but a significant distinction is that Crohn’s disease can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus, whereas ulcerative colitis affects only the colon. The incidence of IBD varies widely between countries, being rare in the developing world but much more common in Westernized nations, where the incidence of Crohn’s disease is around 5-7 per 100,000 (and rising) and that of ulcerative colitis at a broadly stable 10 per 100,000. It is common for both disorders to develop in young adults, but there is a second spike of incidence in people in their 70s. Details about the two disorders are given under the individual entries elsewhere in the dictionary. Inflammatory bowel disease should not be confused with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) which has some of the same symptoms of IBD but a different cause and outcome.
The term for a number of chronic, relapsing inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract of unknown etiology. The two most common types are ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.
A general term that refers to the inflammation of the colon and rectum.
A broad term that incorporates both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis involving visible inflammation of the intestinal lining.
A condition characterized by inflammation of the intestinal lining is referred to as enteritis.
The term “inflammatory bowel disease” encompasses chronic disorders that impact the small and/or large intestine, leading to symptoms such as abdominal pain, bleeding, and diarrhea. The most prevalent types of inflammatory bowel disease are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.