Intestinal disease

Inflammatory bowel disease encompasses two diseases that cause, as its name suggests, inflammation of the digestive tract: ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. They have common characteristics and that differentiate them.

Both ulcerative colitis and Crohn's affect the digestive tract chronically, alternating periods of activity or outbreak with periods with few symptoms. The cause of both diseases is not clear, genetics, infections and immunological factors seem to play an important role.

Typically, these diseases manifest in adolescence or adult life, although there are cases in childhood.

Ulcerative colitis

It is a chronic disease that causes inflammation of the lining of the colon. It does not affect other parts of the intestine or digestive tract. The disease usually begins in the rectum (last portion of the colon), it can be limited to this region or spread throughout the large intestine.

The most typical symptoms are bloody diarrhea, rectal bleeding, stools with mucus and pus, and a sensation of incomplete evacuation after defecation. There may be significant abdominal pain, decreased appetite, weight loss, and growth retardation or little weight gain.

Phases of higher disease activity (outbreaks) are interspersed with less active phases with fewer or no symptoms. In the acute outbreak, fever, nausea, vomiting and a poor general condition appear.

The disease can have effects outside the digestive system: arthritis, osteoporosis, skin lesions, conjunctivitis, and gallstones or kidney stones.

The main complication of ulcerative colitis is toxic megacolon. It consists of an exaggerated dilation of the colon with the risk of perforation. In these patients the risk of developing colon adenocarcinoma is increased.

Diagnosis is made by analyzing a biopsy of the colon mucosa.

Treatment consists of administering drugs with anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory action. In some cases, for example in toxic megacolon, surgery is used to remove the affected colon segment or all of it.

Crohn's disease

It is an inflammatory disease that can affect any part of the digestive tract (from the mouth to the anus), the most frequent location being the small intestine. It is frequently associated with perianal injuries. The symptoms of the disease depend on the affectation of the same. If the stomach and duodenum are affected, the child has vomiting, nausea, and abdominal pain. If it affects the colon, it can give bloody diarrhea.

Like ulcerative colitis, it occurs in outbreaks, with periods without symptoms.

Many Crohn's have manifestations of the disease outside of the digestive system and are very similar to those of ulcerative colitis.

The most common complication is intestinal obstruction and perianal lesions: fistulas and fissures, and the development of intestinal tumors such as intestinal adenocarcinoma or colorectal adenoma.

Like ulcerative colitis, an intestinal biopsy is needed to make the diagnosis. The treatment is similar, using anti-inflammatories and immunomodulators and using surgery for possible complications.