Posts Tagged ‘Inflammatory Bowel Disease’
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
DESCRIPTION
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a general term for a group of chronic inflammatory disorders of the intestines characterized by recurrent inflammation in specific parts of the intestines. The two main types of IBD are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
In Crohn’s disease, the ileum (the final part of the small intestine) is the primary area affected, although the inflammatory reaction may also involve the mucosa of the mouth, oesophagus, stomach, duodenum (the first part of the small intestine), jejunum (the middle portion of the small intestine), colon (the large intestine), the mesentery (outside covering of the intestines), or the lymph nodes in the abdominal region. In ulcerative colitis, the lining of the colon is the area affected.