Inflammatory bowel disease is a term for both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis which are chronic inflammatory diseases of the digestive system. In Crohn’s disease, inflammation can occur anywhere from the mouth to the anus, whereas in ulcerative colitis, inflammation is limited to the large bowel.

 

While many IBD symptoms are gut-related, including abdominal pain and urgency, patients can also experience IBD symptoms outside of the gut. The most common of these are joint pain, anaemia, and issues with skin, bone, eye, liver, and kidney health.

 

Most IBD patients are diagnosed when they are between 15 and 35 years old, though anyone can be diagnosed with IBD at any age.

 

A GP can perform blood and stool tests as part of the initial evaluation before a gastroenterologist performs an upper GI endoscopy and /or colonoscopy to look up and down the digestive system. This will help determine whether a patient has IBD as biopsies are often taken.

There are a wide range of treatments for IBD, but currently no cure. Most treatments have significant side effects and so there is now a great deal of research into botanical extracts such as curcumin and green tea being used to dampen down inflammatory responses. Patients also suffer vitamin and mineral deficiencies and so testing and treating these should also be part of the process.