Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
Know that the pain will pass, and, when it passes, you will be stronger, happier, more sensitive and aware – Mel Colgrove
image by: Crohn's & Colitis UK
HWN Recommends
What I Want You To Know about Crohn’s and Colitis
To all the caregivers, bosses, classmates, and friends. To all the boyfriends and best friends, to the girl that I see at yoga class. I want you to know this:
I have IBD. It stands for Inflammatory Bowel Disease. (It does not stand for Irritable Bowel Disorder, or anything else, and it’s not the same as IBS). If you know me, you probably know this. I talk about it frequently. I volunteer for various organizations. I have my elevator speech worked out, and I can rattle off definitions, facts, and statistics in my sleep. But do you know what that means to me, and the other patients who live day in and day out with IBD?
We all know IBD awareness is important. But…
Resources
6 Myths About IBD, Debunked
The notion that IBD is a one-way ticket to lifelong suffering from which there is no relief comes up a lot, Axelrad says. His response is simple: “There are really a lot of options from a therapeutic standpoint to improve patients’ quality of life, reduce inflammation, and reduce complications,” he says. And he should know, not only as a physician in the field but as someone who also lives with Crohn’s.
How Your Diet Can Help Reduce IBD Symptoms
Before diving into options for what you might put on your plate and in your body if you have IBD, know that experts emphasize that dietary changes aren’t a wholesale substitute for medical treatment.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease – Addressing the "hidden" disease with innovative, multidisciplinary and patient-centric care
The last two decades have seen an explosion in the therapeutic arsenal for IBD; the development of biologics and novel oral agents has revolutionised the management of the condition. A sizeable number of patients can achieve mucosal healing and endoscopic remission with these drugs. These advances have supported improved treatment goals that now include complete clinical, biochemical and endoscopic remission of IBD.
A to Z of IBD
When I talk about IBD I'm often faced with blank stares and so here is my A-Z guide to Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Not Just a Pooping Disease: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Inflammatory Bowel Disease
These diseases have been known primarily as "pooping diseases" because many patients frequent the bathroom as a result of the cramping and abdominal pain caused by IBD. However, there are many aspects of the disease that are far worse than spending time in the bathroom.
IBD: How a class of killer T cells goes rogue in inflammatory bowel disease
The very features that make memory T cells so desirable for vaccines – their capacity to live for such a long time and mount a stronger response when they encounter a microbial invader for the second time – may explain why autoimmune diseases are chronic and lifelong.
Explainer: what is inflammatory bowel disease?
The disease is one of a variety of unrelated but ongoing gastrointestinal disorders. Of these, some of the most common complaints are about gluten intolerance and functional bowel problems (when the gut doesn’t work properly, such as when someone has irritable bowel syndrome). Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are examples of inflammatory bowel disease. All of these problems have very different causes, although having one of them may put you at an increased risk of developing another.
IBD Academy: Treatment with 5-ASAs and Corticosteroids
Understanding the medications used to treat inflammatory bowel disease can help you to be a knowledgable part of your healthcare team. Many individuals with IBD end up taking a whole series of medications before their doctors find the one(s) that work for them. There are four major classes of drugs used to treat IBD: aminosalicylates (5-ASAs), corticosteroids, immunomodulators, and biologics.
IBD Is More Than ‘Just a Bathroom Disease’
When people think of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, they usually think, “it’s just a bathroom disease” or “it’s just a bad stomach ache.” What they don’t consider is the multitude of ways that inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) impact the 5 million people worldwide living with these diseases.
IBD Patients on the Most Effective Ways Doctors Can Treat Their Condition
“We need to change the narrative and refocus our collective efforts on advancing the research and translation of novel therapeutics into clinical practice,” she says. “It’s not enough to focus only on disease awareness initiatives. We’re all aware. Now we need action.”
Inflammatory bowel disease imaging: Current practice and future directions
The paper discusses, in detail the pros and cons of the different IBD imaging modalities that need to be considered in order to optimize the imaging and clinical evaluation of patients with IBD.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease in the Emergency Department
Patients with IBD frequently present to the emergency department for the treatment of flares. It is the role of the emergency physician to resuscitate and restore fluid and electrolyte balance, evaluate and control pain/fever/nausea, and to identify manifestations of IBD requiring urgent and emergent intervention (obstruction, intra-abdominal abscess and fistula formation, life-threatening hemorrhage, and toxic megacolon).
Inflammatory bowel disease: clinical aspects and treatments
Although there is no cure for IBD, we now have sufficient evidence that several pharmaceutical compounds are able to dampen the intestinal inflammation. This review provides an overview of the experimental studies done using monoclonal antibodies and anti-inflammatory drugs. Most of the results reported in the papers show that anti-inflammatory compounds can inhibit the proliferation of cytokines such as TNF-α and IFN-γ, but unfortunately have potential side effects, including vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea.
The Connection Between IBD and Aging
Even more underappreciated is the growing population of people who are diagnosed with the disease after they turn 60. Whereas IBD was once taught as a disease with two spikes in onset—20s to 30s, and 40s to 50s—doctors are learning there is a third spike that begins later in life. “Now we know you can be 75 and get IBD,” says Dr. Simon Hong, a gastroenterologist and IBD specialist at NYU Langone Health.
These Environmental Factors Increase the Risk of IBD
During the past 60 years, experts have documented a steep rise in the incidence of both ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease—the two medical conditions that make up most cases of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). For decades, this rise was confined to North America, Western Europe, and other industrialized nations. While there’s some evidence that the rise in IBD has slowed down or even plateaued in those places, IBD is becoming increasingly common in newly industrialized countries in Asia and other parts of the world.
This common toothpaste ingredient could be wreaking havoc on your gut
Even if you’ve never heard of it, you’ve almost certainly come across triclosan. A highly effective antibacterial and antifungal ingredient, triclosan is found in all kinds of toothpastes, hand sanitizers, deodorants, mouthwashes, detergents, cleaning supplies—if you use household products, you’re interacting with triclosan every day. So it’s worrying that a new study, published in Science Translation Medicine on Wednesday, suggests that triclosan exposure could increase rates of colitis and colon cancer.
What Living With IBD Has Taught Me About Being A Doctor
aving a close relationship to IBD has taught me about the urgent need for medical advances and cures for the disease.
A Surprise Medical Solution: Hypnosis
Major hospitals are finding hypnotherapy can help sufferers of digestive conditions like heartburn, colitis, acid reflux and irritable bowel syndrome.
Could Viruses Attacking The Microbiome Be Responsible For Inflammatory Bowel Disease?
New research done in a mouse model of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has suggested that viruses called phages, which have the ability to infect and kill gut bacteria, may be involved in the disease.
Cure Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Without Medication
I’m here to tell you it’s possible to alleviate symptoms of inflammatory bowel diseases, like Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis and it doesn’t always have to take dangerous medications. You can do so with a change in diet or by consuming healing nutraceuticals...
Diagnosing Crohn's disease and Ulcerative Colitis
More sophisticated blood tests are now being used to help distinguish between Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The newer tests look at proteins called antibodies, which are produced by the immune system. There are two antibodies of long-standing interest. • Perinuclear anti-neutrophil antibodies (pANCA) • Anti-Saccharomyces Cerevisiae antibody (ASCA)
Fecal Transplants: a New Treatment for IBD
While the burgeoning use of FMT may seem like a wonder of modern medicine, the practice reportedly dates back to ancient China, where “yellow soup” was used to treat cases of severe food poisoning and diarrhea.
Hope for People with IBD and Those at Risk
A cure remains elusive because we don’t know what causes IBD. However, the recent mapping of the human genome (the complete set of a person’s genetic information) has strengthened our grasp of how genes relate to complex immune diseases like IBD.
How hot peppers and marijuana could help cure gut problems
When our gut’s immune system starts acting more like that of the rest of the body, the gut gets inflamed and starts attacking its own cells. The end result is illness. Diseases like celiac (an autoimmune reaction to gluten) and ulcerative colitis (one of two types of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, the other being Crohns) occur when the gut’s immune system starts treating food, and our own body, like an interloper. These conditions often leaves sufferers in tremendous pain and at an increased risk of both malnutrition and colon cancer. But if researchers could figure out how to calm down that immunological response, it might be possible to create a treatment.
Microplastics may be linked to inflammatory bowel disease, study finds
People with IBD have 50% more microplastics in their faeces but more research needed to confirm connection.
New Therapies for Bowel Diseases
“Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s are in many ways the poster child for which sequencing the genome is having a tremendous impact,” Dr. Xavier said in an interview. Equally important to improved treatment has been understanding how environmental factors like diet and antibiotics can disrupt the balance of microbes in the gut. Some bacteria are protective and keep the gut healthy, while others result in chronic inflammation.
Speaking Up About an Uncomfortable Condition
Bowels, especially those that don’t function properly, are not a popular topic of conversation. Most of the 1.4 million Americans with inflammatory bowel disease — Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis — suffer in silence. But scientists are making exciting progress in understanding the causes of these conditions and in developing more effective therapies. And affected individuals have begun to speak up to let others know that they are not alone.
Treating Disease by Nudging the Microbes Inside Us
We’ve spent centuries trying to kill bacteria. Now, scientists have shown that subtler approaches can work—at least in mice.
Weighing the new approaches to treating Crohn's and ulcerative colitis
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), is a condition that involves inflammation of the digestive tract. In recent years, treatment options for IBD have rapidly expanded. The goal of these newer treatments is to improve control of inflammation in the gut, which can greatly improve patients' quality of life.
What’s Life Like With a J-pouch? One Woman’s Story
A few weeks after my ulcerative colitis diagnosis, I began blogging in an effort to inform other people who might feel unsure about life with UC. When I mentioned on my site that I'd undergone an ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) surgery series, which involved three major operations to remove my colon and construct my J-pouch, the most common question I received on social media was “What’s life like with a J-pouch?”
Why we all need to be proactive about our bowels
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a mounting burden on health-care systems globally.
What I Want You To Know about Crohn’s and Colitis
We all know IBD awareness is important. But there are more reasons that I want you to know about it. I want you to be aware on a personal level, because for this single person, (and millions of others like me) it affects my whole life. I want to be able to go up to someone- a friend or a stranger, and when I say “I have Crohn’s” or “I have Colitis”, they get it.
5 Hot Topics in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research
Inflammatory bowel disease research, just like clothes and music, is subject to trends. To give you a good idea about where things are heading at the moment, I’ve composed a list of five hot topics in IBD research. The choices were based mainly on my own research experiences, the research prioritization report published by the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA), as well as ideas found on patient forums.
GirlswithGuts
A non-profit organization supporting and empowering women with IBD and/or ostomies.
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases® brings the most current information in clinical and basic sciences to physicians caring for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases, and investigators performing research in IBD and related fields.
Let'sTalkIBD
"Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it is better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring." Those of us with IBD and ostomies certainly aren't perfect, but that is what makes us so special. Stay tuned for inspiration!
The IBD Immunologist
The goal of The IBD Immunologist is to provide you coverage of the latest IBD research news and with the basic immunology background needed to understand it. The most exciting new research on IBD is focused on the immune system. This site will help you stay abreast of the latest information.
Crohn’s & Ulcerative Colitis Companion
Living with a chronic disease like IBD can sometimes be discouraging, and you may feel embarrassed by your disease. Other times, contacting one of the IBD support groups or organizations listed below may be just what you need. You may take comfort in learning how other people with IBD are managing their condition.
Colitis and Me
Documenting the human side of Inflammatory Bowel Disease and how it has changed my life.
Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America
Founded in 1967, the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to finding cures for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis and improving the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases, collectively referred to as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). CCFA funds cutting-edge medical and scientific research, provides supportive and educational programs and aims to raise public awareness about IBD.
Crohn's and Colitis UK
Crohn's and Colitis UK is the working name for the National Association for Colitis and Crohn's Disease (NACC). Founded in 1979, the charity has been providing information and support, funding research and fighting for change by bringing together people of all ages who have been diagnosed with IBD, their families and friends, and the professionals involved in their care.
Crohn's Forum
Support group and forum for Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, and other IBD.
Get Your Belly Out
Every 22 minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis… We are here to help! #GetYourBellyOut is an award winning, patient-led, charitable organisation providing support, education and advocacy to a global community of 45,000 people.
Healthy Gut
SCD Lifestyle is a can-do blog that focuses on the “specific carbohydrate diet” as a healing approach to Crohn’s, colitis and IBDs - Healthline
Journal of Crohn's and Colitis
Journal of Crohn's and Colitis is concerned with the dissemination of knowledge on clinical, basic science and innovative methods related to inflammatory bowel diseases.
OstomyOutdoors.com
This blog chronicles my return to the world of outdoor adventures with a permanent ileostomy.
Ostomystory
Laura bravely, openly, and honestly about life with Ulcerative Colitis and an ostomy. Her videos include both helpful “how-to” demonstrations, personal experiences, and tips for dealing. Laura’s YouTube popularity even landed her a spot discussing ostomies on Tosh.0! - GBM
The Fecal Transplant Foundation
The purpose of fecal transplant is to replace good bacteria that has been killed or suppressed, usually by the use of antibiotics, causing bad bacteria, specifically Clostridium difficile, or C. diff., to over-populate the colon. Fecal transplant has also had promising results with many other digestive or auto-immune diseases, including Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Crohn’s Disease, and Ulcerative Colitis.
The Great Bowel Movement
The Great Bowel Movement is a social awareness movement with the goals of empowering patients associated with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) including Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, as well as J-Pouch and Ostomy, to embrace their disease, be proud of their experience, and spread awareness throughout their communities.
Uncover Ostomy
Uncover Ostomy is an awareness campaign sparking a positive conversation about the ostomy. We share positive stories and thought provoking images–dare we say sexy?–to spark this conversation. We invite you to share your comments and ideas on this website, on Facebook, on Twitter and everywhere that you engage with other people.
CDC
Neither ulcerative colitis nor Crohn's disease should be confused with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a disorder that affects the motility (muscle contractions) of the colon. Sometimes called "spastic colon" or "nervous colitis," IBS is not characterized by intestinal inflammation. It is, therefore, a much less serious disease than ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. IBS bears no direct relationship to either ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease.
Introducing Stitches!
Your Path to Meaningful Connections in the World of Health and Medicine
Connect, Collaborate, and Engage!
Coming Soon - Stitches, the innovative chat app from the creators of HWN. Join meaningful conversations on health and medical topics. Share text, images, and videos seamlessly. Connect directly within HWN's topic pages and articles.