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Inflammatory Bowel Disease

What Is Inflammatory Bowel Disease?



What Are the Types of IBD?

There are two kinds of IBD: Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (say: UL-sur-uh-tiv keh-LYE-tis). Both cause inflammation (say: in-fluh-MAY-shun) and, often, ulcers in the intestinal (say: in-TES-tuh-nul) tract. Ulcers are tears or breaks in the lining of the intestines that can cause pain or bleeding.

What Happens in IBD?

Crohn's disease causes all layers of the intestinal wall to become sore, inflamed, and swollen. It can affect any part of the digestive tract, including the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestines, large intestines, and anus.



What Are the Signs of IBD?

The most common symptoms of IBD are belly pain and diarrhea. Other symptoms include:

  • fever
  • low energy
  • weight loss


Who Gets Inflammatory Bowel Disease?


What Do Doctors Do?

If you have any of the symptoms of IBD, you'll need to see your doctor. The doctor will examine you and ask you about any concerns and symptoms you have, your past health, your family's health, any medicines you take, any allergies, and other issues.


How Is IBD Treated?

If someone has IBD, the doctor may recommend a diet that is low in fiber, fat, and dairy products. He or she may also prescribe medicines to reduce inflammation and help prevent infection.

Sometimes, surgery is necessary. Kids with ulcerative colitis can be cured by having their large intestine removed. There is no cure for Crohn's disease, but surgery often helps by removing parts of the bowel that are affected.

What's Life Like for Kids With IBD?

Inflammatory bowel disease is not a disease that kids will outgrow. However, many kids have long periods, sometimes years, with no symptoms.



Friends and classmates should treat kids with IBD just like any other friends. It's nice to be sensitive and willing to listen when someone with IBD wants to talk. Simply talking about their illness can sometimes help kids with IBD feel a lot better about things.

The best thing that kids with IBD can do is take good care of themselves, exercise, take their medicines, and eat foods that will make them grow strong. By managing their IBD, kids with this condition can lead regular lives.

Date reviewed: October 2017