Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is diagnosed in children by compiling a thorough history of the condition, physical examination, blood test, stool test, imaging and endoscopic procedures.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of chronic diseases in which the body’s immune system attacks bacteria in the intestine causing inflammation. The most common symptoms are diarrhea and abdominal pain. IBD is a chronic disease that has no cure, but it can be controlled by medications and lifestyle changes including diet and reducing stress.
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NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital answeredSee All 3 AnswersInflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a common condition affecting more than one million people in the United States.
There are two Components of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD):- Ulcerative colitis: inflammation of the innermost lining of the large intestine and/or rectum
- Crohn's disease: inflammation of the lining and walls of the large and/or small intestine. It may also affect other parts of the digestive system and can spread deep into the tissue.
Traditionally, these two conditions were thought to be distinct types of IBD. However, researchers are beginning to think of IBD as a spectrum (or range) of diseases that affect the intestines. Thus, some people may only have symptoms of ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease, while others may have symptoms of both conditions (known as "indeterminate colitis").
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Riverside Health System answeredSee All 2 AnswersTreatments for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may include:
- Medicines
- Surgery
- Changes in the foods you eat—some people find following specific diets helps ease their symptoms Nutritional supplements Reducing stress and getting enough rest
If you have IBD, your treatment will depend on:
- Your symptoms and how severe they are
- Which part of your digestive tract is affected
- If you have health problems outside the digestive tract
Most people with IBD take medicine to control their symptoms. If medicines cannot control their disease, some people will need surgery.
This answer is based on source information from the National Women's Health Information Center.
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1 AnswerA
UCLA Health answeredComplementary therapies for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) include acupuncture and other holistic approaches. They should never be the primary therapies for IBD, but they can help to decrease some of the symptoms of the disease. Because IBD is an immune-mediated disorder, complementary therapies will often not be able to heal the overactive immune system in the gastrointestinal tract.
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UCLA Health answeredA lot of people want to try to treat their inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with diet alone. It is important to note that diet has not been implicated as a cause for IBD with the exception of possibly high-fat animal proteins. IBD is not related to food allergies, and there are no specific foods that have been identified that worsen the actual disease once you have been diagnosed.
As of yet, there is no IBD-specific diet that helps to treat inflammation. A lot of different theories are out there, and many different diets have been tried. However, a lot of the time, those diets lead to malnutrition and eventually a worsening of disease activity. Nevertheless, diet is important in the management of IBD because the most important aspect is to maintain adequate caloric intake and hydration. Malnutrition is associated with worse outcomes, including more infections and more hospitalizations. -
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UCLA Health answered
Your doctor will ask you many questions if you are suspected of having a form of inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. The first is what your bowel habits were when you were feeling well. This gives the doctor a sense of what your baseline is. Some people, at baseline, move their bowels three times a day; others, every three days. Doctors will want to see whether or not you are having increased bowel movements and how much they differ from your usual movements.
The doctor will want to know when your symptoms began, how many trips to the bathroom you make—not just bowel movements but how many trips to the bathroom. This is because in ulcerative colitis, one of the characteristics is a lot of urgency: You may feel like you need to go to the bathroom, but a stool doesn't always come out or there is a sense of incomplete evacuation.
Other questions will include: Have you noticed blood in your stools? How much? How often? Is it with every bowel movement or just some? Are you experiencing fever, weight loss or fatigue? Are you getting up in the middle of the night to move your bowels or because of abdominal pain? Do you have that urgency to move your bowels all the time, and are you having abdominal pain? What style is it? Is it crampy or sharp? Where is it located?
The doctor will also want to ask about other potential triggers. Were you recently on antibiotics? Did you start any new medications? Are you taking your medications? Have you been to the hospital recently, or has anyone around you been sick?
For women, there's an association between inflammatory bowel disease symptoms and the menstrual cycle. The doctor will want to know if there is a relationship between your symptoms and your menstrual cycle.
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UCLA Health answeredEndoscopy is very important for the diagnosis and management of inflammatory bowel disease. In terms of ulcerative colitis, doctors will look for endoscopic degrees of disease activity, which can range from mild to severe. For Crohn's disease, doctors will try to see if there are any of the ulcers that are very typical in Crohn's disease, or others that have a feature called cobblestoning. An endoscopy may also reveal areas of narrowing in the bowel. There may be the need for surgery in the future depending on how tight and how severe these are. An endoscopy will also show any prior history of surgery.