Ailments and Situations - Inflammatory Bowel Disease - What to Expect

Both diseases are chronic, often remaining with sufferers for a lifetime. For some, the disease is manageable and requires little treatment. For others, IBD is a life-threatening disorder. Serious increase in disease activity may necessitate emergency medical attention and periods of hospitalization. Serious problems may involve intolerable pain or constant, loose, bloody stools. In some cases, surgery must be performed to reassign the digestive tract.

Weight loss is prevalent in sixty-five to seventy-five percent of all IBD patients. Not only does the pain associated with eating cause a decrease in food intake, but the nutrients consumed are not assimilated properly by your body. Weight loss is especially prevalent in people who have extensive damage to the small intestine and in people who have had surgical resection of segments of the small intestine.

Arthritis is the most common complication of IBD. Approximately 25% of people with IBD develop arthritis -- the most frequent being peripheral arthritis, affecting the knees, ankles and wrists. About 15% of people with IBD suffer from skin lesions while 3 to 7% suffer from some type of liver disease (sclerosing cholangitis, chronic active hepatitis, cirrhosis...). Chances of acquiring colon cancer are higher amongst IBD sufferers. Children often fail to mature properly as a result of IBD. 75% of children with Crohn's disease experience growth failure, with 25% of children with ulcerative colitis fail to grow normally.