| Gastrointestinal Involvement (Main Menu) |
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| Inflammatory Bowel Disease |
| These symptoms may occur by themselves or along with other diseases or systemic scleroderma but not in localized scleroderma, such as linear and morphea. See Types of Scleroderma. This page was written by Shelley Ensz, and has not yet been medically edited. Scleroderma (SD) affects everyone differently. Just because something is listed here does not mean that it is due to scleroderma or that an individual patient will ever experience it. See Disclaimer. |
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| Overview |
| Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) should not be confused with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) which is less severe. Two kinds of inflammatory bowel disease are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. |
| IBD vs. IBS. Unlike IBD, IBS does not cause inflammation, ulcers or other damage to the bowel. Instead, IBS is a much less serious problem called a functional disorder. WebMD. |
| Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Inflammatory bowel disease is the name of a group of disorders that cause the intestines to become inflamed (red and swollen). Two kinds of inflammatory bowel disease are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Familydoctor.org. |
| High prevalence of vitamin K and D deficiency and decreased bone mineral density in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IBD patients have high prevalence of decreased bone mineral density and vitamin K and D deficiency probably caused by malabsorption of these vitamins. (SpringerLink) A. Kuwabara. Osteoporosis International. September 30, 2008. |
| Bone marrow stem cells may help control inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Massachusetts General Hospital investigators have found that infusions of a particular bone marrow stem cell appeared to protect gastrointestinal tissue from autoimmune attack in a mouse model. Findings suggest that mesenchymal stem cells therapy could become a useful treatment for inflammatory bowel disease. EurekAlert. August 20, 2008. (Also see: Stem Cell Transplants) |
| Thoracic Manifestations of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) . Respiratory symptoms and diagnosed respiratory system disorders are more common among patients with IBD than generally appreciated. Chest. 2007; 131:524-532. |
| Inflammatory bowel disease doubles risk of pregnancy complications. Inflammatory bowel disease (BS) roughly doubles the chances of pregnancy complications, reveals research. EurekAlert! 12/19/06. (Also see: Autoimmunity and Pregnancy) |
| Vitamin D and calcium deficits predispose for multiple chronic diseases. In addition to skeletal disorders, calcium and vitamin D deficits increase the risk of malignancies, particularly of colon, breast and prostate gland, of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases (e.g. insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), multiple sclerosis), as well as of metabolic disorders (metabolic syndrome, hypertension). PubMed. Eur J Clin Invest. 2005 May;35(5):290-304. (Also see: Multiple Sclerosis) |
| Crohn's Disease |
| Crohn's Disease is an inflammatory bowel disease, the general name for diseases that cause swelling in the intestines. Because the symptoms of Crohn’s disease are similar to other intestinal disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis, it can be difficult to diagnose. National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. |
| Autoimmune disorders in patients affected by celiac sprue and inflammatory bowel disease (IBS). Celiac sprue and Crohn's disease show similar prevalence of associated autoimmune disease, higher than the prevalence in ulcerative colitis. (PubMed) Bardella MT. Ann. Med. September 2008. (Also see: Celiac Disease and Ulcerative Colitis) |
| Long-term Methotrexate(MTX) for Crohn's Disease(CD): Safety and Efficacy in Clinical Practice. MTX is well tolerated in most CD patients. Although a great proportion of steroid-dependent CD patients achieve disease remission and steroid withdrawal, there is a trend to a loss of efficacy with time. Domenech, Eugeni MD, PhD. Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology. 42(4):395-399, April 2008. |
| Safer and more effective way to treat Crohn's disease. This alternative strategy, called “top-down”; therapy, employs early use of immune-suppressing drugs combined with an antibody in order to address the disease from the start. Symptom-treating steroids may never even be needed. EurekAlert! 02/21/08. |
| Bacteria In Cows' Milk May Cause Crohn's Disease. The team found that a bacterium called Mycobacterium paratuberculosis releases a molecule that prevents a type of white blood cell from killing E.coli bacteria found in the body. E.coli is known to be present within Crohn's disease tissue in increased numbers. Medical News Today. 12/11/07. |
| Heart failure among younger rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and Crohn's (CD) patients exposed to TNF-{alpha} antagonists. We found only a small number of presumed HF cases in a large population of relatively young RA and CD patients. Rheumatology 2007 46(11):1688-1693. (Also see: Medications and RA) |
| E. coli Bacteria Linked To Crohn's Disease. The study found an increased level of E. coli bacteria in more inflamed areas of the small intestines instead of MAP, a bacterium related to tubercle bacillus that has been more commonly associated with Crohn's. Medical News Today. 08/10/07. |
| Farms Shield Kids From Bowel Disease. Children regularly exposed to farm life as babies are about half as likely as other kids to develop inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease, German researchers report. Statesman.com. 08/06/07. (Also see: Ulcerative Colitis) |
| Largest-ever genetics study published. Among the discoveries are four chromosome regions containing genes that can increase risk of type one diabetes and three new genes for Crohn's disease. The researchers argue they have found for the first time a gene linking these two autoimmune diseases. Inthenews.co.uk. 06/06/07. (Also see: Diabetes) |
| Ulcerative Colitis |
| Ulcerative colitis is a disease that causes inflammation and sores, called ulcers, in the lining of the rectum and colon. Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease, the general name for diseases that cause inflammation in the small intestine and colon. It can be difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are similar to other intestinal disorders and to another type of IBD called Crohn’s disease. National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. |
| Autoimmune disorders in patients affected by celiac sprue and inflammatory bowel disease (IBS). Celiac sprue and Crohn's disease show similar prevalence of associated autoimmune disease, higher than the prevalence in ulcerative colitis. (PubMed) Bardella MT. Ann. Med. September 2008. (Also see: Celiac Disease, and Crohn's Disease) |
| Farms Shield Kids From Bowel Disease. Children regularly exposed to farm life as babies are about half as likely as other kids to develop inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease, German researchers report. Statesman.com. 08/06/07. (Also see: Crohn's Disease) |
| Ulcerative colitis (UC) sufferers find UC quite disruptive to many aspects of daily life. UC's overall psychological toll is greater than for asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and migraines. UC is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in the intestine and can lead to symptoms such as severe abdominal pain and cramping, uncontrollable bloody diarrhea several times a day, fatigue and weight loss. EurekAlert! 05/17/07. |
| Support for IBD |
| Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America. Our Mission is to cure Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases. Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America. |
| IBD Support Foundation. The IBD Support Foundation focuses on providing comprehensive, patient-centered psychosocial care. IBD Support Foundation. |
| Media Stories |
| Bug May Cause Crohn's Disease. Antibiotic Therapy Would Help Crohn's Patients—if Theory Holds True. A treatable infection may be the cause of Crohn's disease, new evidence shows. WebMDHealth 09/16/04. |
