Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of inflammatory conditions of the colon and small intestine. The major types of IBD are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis .

Ulcerative colitis is a type of an inflammatory bowel disease that causes long lasting inflammation in a part of digestive tract. Symptoms generally develops with the time. It generally involves the innermost lining of large intestine (colon) and rectum. It occurs only through continuous stretches of colon.

Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation along the lining of the digestive tract, and generally spreads deep into affected tissues. This can cause abdominal pain, severe diarrhea and even malnutrition. The inflammation due to Crohn’s disease can involve different areas of the digestive tract in different people.

Collagenous colitis and lymphocytic colitis are also considered inflammatory bowel diseases, but are usually regarded separately from classic inflammatory bowel disease.