Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease is the term usually used to describe conditions that involve inflammation of the intestines, most often Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative colitis. An unrelated condition, microscopic colitis (collagenous or lymphocytic colitis) can also result in diarrhea and is best diagnosed by biopsy of the intestine.
Symptoms of Inflammatory bowel disease vary and usually include abdominal pain and diarrhea, which can be bloody at times. It is thought to be caused by abnormal triggering of the immune system and can create significant other problems. These include, among many, malnutrition from the inability to absorb nutrients, internal abscesses or pus collections and fistulas or communications with other internal organs
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Crohn’s Disease Expanded Version