1,918 Best Doctors For Inflammatory Bowel Disease In Pakistan

Summary about Inflammatory Bowel Disease in English

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a long-term condition that causes chronic inflammation in the digestive (gastrointestinal) tract. The two main types are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. IBD can cause abdominal pain, diarrhoea, blood in the stool, weight loss and constant tiredness. Symptoms often come and go, with periods of flare-ups and periods of remission. There is no cure yet, but modern treatment can control inflammation, reduce flare-ups and greatly improve daily life.

What is Inflammatory Bowel Disease?

Inflammatory bowel disease is a group of conditions in which the immune system causes ongoing inflammation in the digestive tract. Over time, this inflammation can damage the gut and affect how your body absorbs nutrients. IBD is generally thought to happen when the immune system reacts abnormally to triggers in the environment, in people who are genetically more likely to develop it.

Types of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Crohn’s Disease

Crohn’s disease can affect any part of the digestive tract, from the mouth to the anus. Pain is usually felt in the lower right side of the abdomen, and diarrhoea may contain undigested food.

Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis affects the large intestine (colon). Pain may be felt across the abdomen or on the left side, and diarrhoea often contains blood or mucus.

Symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease symptoms can be mild or severe, and often flare up and settle down over time. Common symptoms include:

• Abdominal pain, cramping and bloating

• Diarrhoea, often with an urgent need to go

• Blood in the stool, more common in ulcerative colitis

• Weight loss

• Constant tiredness (fatigue), which can worsen if you also have anaemia

• Fever, especially during flare-ups

• Feeling the need to pass stool even when the bowels are empty

Symptoms outside the gut:
 IBD can also affect other parts of the body, causing:

• Joint pain

• Skin rashes

• Eye inflammation

• Liver problems

Causes of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease causes are not fully understood. Experts believe it results from a combination of:

• An abnormal immune response: the immune system attacks the digestive tract, causing ongoing inflammation

• Genetics: certain genes linked to immune control and the protective lining of the gut make some people more likely to develop IBD

• Environmental triggers: factors in the environment can set off the disease in people who are already genetically at risk

Risk Factors of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

You may be more likely to develop IBD if you:

• Have a parent, brother or sister with IBD. First-degree relatives can have up to five times higher risk.

• Smoke, which is linked to Crohn’s disease

• Eat a diet high in fat, sugar or meat

• Have taken antibiotics, painkillers (anti-inflammatories) or hormonal birth control

• Have had certain gut infections, such as Salmonella

• Live in a city

Most people are diagnosed in their 20s and 30s, but about 1 in 4 people with IBD first develop symptoms in childhood or their teenage years.

Preventive Measures of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

There is no proven way to prevent IBD, but you can lower some risks and manage flare-ups:

• Don’t smoke

• Eat a balanced diet that is lower in fats and sugars

• Use painkillers and antibiotics only as advised by a doctor

• Drink plenty of water, especially during diarrhoea, to prevent dehydration

• Keep a symptom diary to spot food triggers and patterns

• Work with a doctor or dietitian to make sure you get enough nutrients

• See a doctor early if you have ongoing diarrhoea, abdominal pain or blood in the stool

Diagnosis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history, then may recommend:

• Blood tests: to check for inflammation and anaemia

• Stool tests: to look for inflammation and rule out infection

• Colonoscopy or endoscopy: a thin camera is used to look inside the gut, and a small tissue sample (biopsy) is usually taken

• CT scan or MRI: to look at the bowel and check for complications

Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease treatment aims to control inflammation, ease symptoms, reduce flare-ups and keep the disease in remission. Depending on how severe your IBD is, your doctor may recommend:

• Anti-inflammatory medicines: reduce inflammation in the gut, usually for mild to moderate disease

• Steroids: control flare-ups in moderate to severe disease. They are not used long-term because of serious side effects.

• Immune-suppressing medicines: calm the immune system to help keep the disease in remission. They can take a few months to work.

• Biologic therapy: targets specific proteins that cause inflammation, for moderate to severe IBD

• Newer targeted therapies: for severe IBD, usually when other treatments haven’t worked

• Surgery: removes damaged parts of the bowel, or in some cases the large intestine and rectum, when medicines aren’t enough

Diet tips that may help:

• Reduce high-fibre foods if they upset your stomach, and ask your doctor about a low-residue diet

• Choose healthier fats like olive oil, and limit fried foods and butter

• Limit dairy if it causes cramps or diarrhoea

• Drink enough water

• Ask your doctor before taking supplements or probiotics

Complications of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

If not well controlled, IBD can lead to:

• Malnutrition, because the gut can’t absorb nutrients properly

• Anaemia (low red blood cells)

• Dehydration

• Fistulas: abnormal tunnels, often near the anus, that cause pain and drainage

• Abscesses and infections

• Ulcers anywhere from the mouth to the anus

• Joint, skin and eye inflammation

• Delayed growth and weak bones in children