What is Inflammatory Bowel Disease? Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) refers to two inflammatory conditions that affect the intestines Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Symptoms of IBD include abdominal pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, and weight loss.
How do you know?
Chughtai Lab provides a way for patients to determine whether they are suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) based on specific symptoms. According to Chughtai Lab, Patients with Crohn’s disease usually experience swelling of their hands, feet, and face. Their joints may swell with redness or pain.
They may also have abdominal mass and bone loss. Tests run by Chughtai Lab involve assessing C reactive protein (CRP), lactoferrin, and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) levels. If results show high levels of CRP, there is a higher likelihood that you have IBD rather than another illness.
Understanding Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
At Excel Lab in Islamabad, Pakistan, Dr. Chughtai has been researching inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) for years and working with biopsies of colons afflicted with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis from patients who have sought treatment at Excel Lab.
According to Dr. Chughtai, Crohn’s disease is usually associated with long-standing inflammation, and ulcerative colitis is associated with short-term inflammation, providing clinicians with a new perspective for designing clinical trials for these diseases. He also notes that genes may play a role in developing inflammatory bowel disease, but environmental factors may also be involved.
Who does it affect?
The most common autoimmune disease in America, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), impacts more than 1.5 million Americans. With symptoms like abdominal pain, cramping, and changes in bowel movements.
It’s no wonder IBD is often misdiagnosed for years. While there are two distinct forms of IBD, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis typically respond well to treatment with medication or other therapies. But how do you know if you have IBD?
What causes IBD?
As with most chronic health conditions, no one knows what causes IBD. However, researchers believe that environmental and genetic factors play a role in its development. Excel Lab has conducted several studies identifying a genetic mutation in about 40% of people with Crohn’s disease and 10% of people with ulcerative colitis.
Symptoms and risk factors
People with IBD may experience a wide range of symptoms, including weight loss, fever, fatigue, abdominal pain, bloody stool or bloody diarrhea, and joint pain. The two most common types of IBD are ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Ulcerative colitis affects only your colon (large intestine), while Crohn’s disease can affect any part of your digestive tract from your mouth to your anus.
Finding Support
Though rarely discussed in polite company, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affects as many as 1 in 100 people. This includes IBDs such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Fortunately, there are support groups that can help you find understanding, community, and even answers should your doctors fail you. Here are some of them
Caring for yourself during an IBD flare-up
One of the most challenging parts of having IBD is determining when your symptoms are related to something other than IBD. For instance, you may have noticed a pain in your side that feels similar to what you would expect from IBD.
But you’re not experiencing any other typical IBD symptoms. The only way to confirm whether or not it’s an IBD flare-up is by visiting a gastroenterologist and getting tested with a Colonoscopy or Endoscopy.
