A recent study has shown that twice as many people as we thought are living with Crohn’s and Colitis – the two main forms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Dr Denis Burke, Consultant in Gastroenterology at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: “IBD is a chronic inflammation of the digestive system, not to be confused with the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
“Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are the two main types of IBD. About 7 million people worldwide have IBD. Although it is not a common disease, an increasing number of people have been diagnosed over the last 20 years.
“Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is the term used to describe these conditions that can cause tummy pain and diarrhoea. IBD is long-term disorder, but there are treatments that can control the inflammation and help with the symptoms.
“IBD is different to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), even though some of the symptoms may be similar.”
Although IBD is most common in young adults it can affect all ages. It's not clear what causes inflammatory bowel disease and it happens when your immune system attacks your bowel, which causes it to get inflamed.
You're more likely to get IBD if one of your close relatives has it, for example, one of your parents, grandparents, or a sibling.
Symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
The main symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can include:
- diarrhoea that lasts longer than 4 weeks
- tummy pain
- blood or mucus (clear slime) in your poo
- bleeding from your bottom
- feeling tired all the time
- losing weight without trying
If you have these symptoms you should see your GP.
Call 999 if:
- you have severe tummy pain.
- you're bleeding non-stop from your bottom.
- there's a lot of blood, for example, the toilet water turns red or you see large blood clots.
- you're vomiting blood or poo, or your sick looks like coffee grounds or soil.
Treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) will depend on your symptoms. If you're very unwell, you may need to be treated in hospital.
Treatments may include:
- medicines to help ease your symptoms, such as steroids, and other medicines that can help keep your symptoms under control. With ongoing research in the UK and around the world new and effective treatments continue to be developed.
- surgery to remove part of your bowel, if your symptoms are severe.
Crohn's and Colitis UK is a charity that provides help and support for people living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).