Inflammatory bowel disease: a detailed overview

Top Doctors recently had the pleasure of speaking with incredibly well-regarded consultant colorectal and general surgeon, Mr Amir Ghanbari, to find out about the symptoms and causes of inflammatory bowel disease.

What are the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease?

It can present with a catalogue of symptoms. The main ones include:

• change in bowel habit
• loose stools
• blood in stool
• weight loss
• abdominal pain
• abdominal cramps
• frequent bowel movements

What causes inflammatory bowel disease?

There is no one specific cause of inflammatory bowel disease. The disease has a genetic component, so if a family member has had inflammatory bowel disease, there is a one in four chance that another family member can get it too.

There appears to be sort of immune response that triggers inflammatory bowel disease. Some particular illnesses can trigger the disease, but the specific conditions are not known.

How is inflammatory bowel disease treated?

A variety of different immunosuppressants can be used nowadays to treat patients with inflammatory bowel disease. When these do not work for patients, then they are offered surgery, which would involve removing the disease segment of the bowel.

For people suffering from ulcerative colitis, we can offer a complete surgical removal of their colon.

Can you live a normal life with inflammatory bowel disease?

The short answer is yes. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease normally have a lot of bowel frequency, but this does not normally restrict people in terms of achieving and doing what they want to achieve and do in their lives.

What foods can cause bowel inflammation?

We suspect some foods can trigger patients’ immune response to react strangely. However, there is no specific food that causes bowel inflammation.

If you suspect that you may be suffering from symptoms outlined above, make sure you book a consultation with Mr Amir Ghanbari today. You can do just that via his Top Doctors profile today.