Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease or IBD (which shouldn't be confused with irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS) includes a group of disorders wherein the intestines become inflamed (red and swollen), which can probably be a result of an immune reaction of the body against its own intestinal tissue.

IBD have two types: ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Although theses diseases have some features in common, there are some important differences in it.

Ulcerative colitis is a disease where the large intestine (or what is also called as the colon) becomes inflamed. In here, the inner lining - or mucosa - of the intestine becomes inflamed (meaning the lining of the intestinal wall reddens and swells) and develops ulcers (an ulcer is a sore; an open, painful wound). Most often, Ulcerative colitis is most severe in the rectal area, which can cause frequent diarrhea. If the lining of the colon is damaged, mucus and blood may appear in the stool (feces or poop).

People with Crohn's disease usually have abdominal cramps or pain, diarrhea (sometimes with blood in the stool), fever and weight loss as symptoms.

Crohn's disease on the other hand differs from ulcerative colitis in the areas of the bowel it involves - most commonly it affects the last part of the small intestine (called the terminal ileum) and parts of the large intestine. However, this disease isn't limited to these areas and can also attack any part of the digestive tract. It causes inflammation that extends much deeper into the layers of the intestinal wall than ulcerative colitis does and generally tends to involve the entire bowel wall.

Abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea are the most common symptoms of ulcerative colitis but some people also experience other symptoms such as tiredness, weight loss, loss of appetite and nausea.

Inflammatory bowel disease is most likely to occur in people in their late teens and twenties. However, kids as young as 5 years old have been known to develop IBD as well and it affects both guys and girls.

Although genetic, infectious, immunologic, and psychological factors have all been implicated in influencing the development of IBD, it is not yet really known what causes inflammatory bowel disease. Therefore, IBD is called an idiopathic disease or disease with an unknown cause. The thing known about IBD is that an unknown factor or agent triggers the body's immune system to produce an inflammatory reaction in the intestinal tract that continues without control, Resulting from the inflammatory reaction, the intestinal wall is damaged which then lead to bloody diarrhea and abdominal pain.