Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an umbrella term used to describe disorders that involve chronic inflammation of your digestive system. There are two types of IBD, and they are:
Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of IBD include:
Causes
The exact cause of IBD still remains unknown. Previously, diet and stress levels were suspected to cause the disease, but now doctors know that these factors may aggravate but aren't the actual cause of IBD.
One possible cause is an immune system malfunction. When your immune system tries to fight off an invading virus or bacterium, an abnormal immune response causes the immune system to attack the cells in the digestive tract, too. Heredity also seems to play a role in that IBD is more common in people who have family members with the disease. However, most people with IBD don't have this family history.
Diagnosis & Treatment
Diagnosis
To help confirm a diagnosis of IBD, you will need a combination of tests and procedures:
Treatment
The aim of treating IBD is to reduce the inflammation that triggers your symptoms. In the best cases, this may lead not only to symptom relief but also to long-term remission and reduced risks of complications.
IBD treatment usually involves either medication or an operation. Please see below:
Your doctor will prescribe the right medication for you and if all other methods fail to ease the problem at hand, your doctor will suggest an operation. Do not worry, your doctor will talk you through the whole process.
Care at Chartwell Hospital
At Chartwell Digestive Health we have a team of experienced gastroenterology specialists, dedicated to providing the best possible care for all of our patients.
We diagnose and treat common abdominal symptoms such as rectal bleeding, change in bowel habit and abdominal pain which can be distressing for patients. In most cases, the symptoms are due to underlying health problems. However, for more serious cases, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment is key to recovery.
Our specialist team use comprehensive examinations and testing to diagnose various conditions. In addition to testing blood and stool samples, our Consultant Gastroenterologists may use other diagnostic tools including colonoscopy, gastroscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, MRI, X-rays, and CT scans.
Doctors & Departments
Department
Gastroenterology
Doctors
Meet our team of experienced gastroenterology specialists