Some people interchange Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (UC) because there are certain similarities between these two ailments. They are two different types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)1 the umbrella term for these conditions (Other lesser-known types of IBD include collagenous colitis and lymphocytic colitis.) Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis both occur in teenagers and young adults. They affect women and men equally, and their symptoms are very similar. What's more, their definitive causes have not yet been determined, although genes, environmental exposure, and poor immune response are both seen as contributing factors to both of these diseases. However, what sets these two apart is the area (or areas) they affect. While they both cause chronic inflammation in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, ulcerative colitis is limited to the rectum and colon, or the large intestine. It begins in the rectum or sigmoid colon, and spreads up through the colon as the disease progresses. The inflammation and irritation mostly affect only the innermost layer of the intestine lining.2 On the other hand, Crohn's disease can manifest generally on any area throughout the GI, from the mouth to the anus. It may also appear in patches. Some areas may be affected, while … Continue reading →

What Is It? Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory disease. It usually begins in the rectum, then worsens to involve some or all of the large intestine. Ulcerative colitis is a lifelong condition. Ulcerative colitis may begin with a breakdown in the lining of the intestine. The inside of the intestine, with its digested food, contains trillions of bacteria. Normally, the lining of the intestines keeps these bacteria from causing an infection of the wall of the intestine. As long as the bacteria are contained, they remain invisible to your immune cells. They do not provoke a reaction. But when the intestine's lining fails, bacteria that usually are harmless can activate your immune system. Ulcerative colitis is an autoimmune disease. This means that the immune system, which is supposed to attack foreign things that get inside our bodies, instead attacks a part of the body. In ulcerative colitis, the bowel bacteria provoke the immune system to attack the wall of the intestine itself, injuring the bowel. There also is evidence that unusually large or small numbers of certain types of bacteria that normally live in everyone's gut can make the gut vulnerable to ulcerative colitis. Once the bowel inflammation has started, … Continue reading →