Inflammatory bowel disease
In medicine, Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of inflammatory conditions of the large intestine and, in some cases, the small intestine.
Diagnosis
Although very different diseases, both present with diarrhea, hematochezia, weight loss and various associated complaints or diseaeses (arthritis, pyoderma gangrenosum, primary sclerosing cholangitis). Diagnosis is generally by colonoscopy with biopsy of pathological lesions.
Forms
The main forms of IBD are:
The main difference between the two is the location and nature of the inflammatory changes in the gut. Crohn's can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract, from mouth to anus (skip lesions), although a majority of the cases start in the terminal ileum. Ulcerative colitis, in contrast, is restricted to the colon, and spares the anus.
Microscopically, ulcerative colitis is restricted to the mucosa (epithelial lining of the gut), while Crohn's disease affects the whole bowel wall.
Finally, UC generally presents with more extraenteric signs (outside the bowel), such as arthritis, skin manifestations, and others.
Treatment
All forms of IBD may require immunosuppression to control the symptoms. This consists of steroids, and later of steroid-sparing agents (such as azathioprine or methotrexate). Severe cases may require surgery and a temporary or permanent colostomy or ileostomy.
Recent findings
A recent hypothesis posits that some IBD cases are caused by an overactive immune system attacking various tissues of the digestive tract because of the lack of traditional targets such as parasites and worms. The number of people being diagnosed with IBD has increased as the number of infections by parasites, such as roundworms and human whipworms, has fallen, and the condition is still rare in countries where parasitic infections are common. This is similar to the hygiene hypothesis applied to allergies.
One proposed remedy is helminthic therapy -- treatment with live worms. A University of Iowa double-blind crossover study by Dr. Joel Weinstock treated 200 IBS patients (100 with Crohn's and 100 with UC) with a drink containing the microscopic eggs of New Scientist magazine says that the German company BioCure has already applied to the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products for an EU license to sell "TSO" (Trichuris suis ova), a therapeutic drink with Health science - Medicine - Gastroenterology
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Diseases of the esophagus - stomach
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|align=center| Halitosis - Nausea - Vomiting - GERD - Achalasia - Esophageal cancer - Esophageal varices - Peptic ulcer - Abdominal pain - Stomach cancer - liver - pancreas - gallbladder - biliary tree
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|align=center| Hepatitis - Cirrhosis - NASH - Budd-Chiari syndrome - Hepatocellular carcinoma - Pancreatitis - Pancreatic cancer - Gallstones - Cholecystitis
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Diseases of the small intestine
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|align=center| Peptic ulcer - Malabsorption (e.g. celiac disease, lactose intolerance, fructose malabsorption, Whipple's disease) - Lymphoma
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Diseases of the colon
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|align=center| Diarrhea - Appendicitis - Diverticulitis - Diverticulosis - IBD (Crohn's disease and Ulcerative colitis) - Irritable bowel syndrome - Constipation - Colorectal cancer - Hirschsprung's disease - Pseudomembranous colitis
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