Inflammatory bowel disease
Inflammatory bowel disease is "chronic, non-specific inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Etiology may be genetic or environmental. This term includes Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis."[1]
Classification
Crohn's disease
Crohn's disease is a "chronic transmural inflammation that may involve any part of the digestive tract from mouth to anus, mostly found in the ileum, the cecum, and the colon. In Crohn disease, the inflammation, extending through the intestinal wall from the mucosa to the serosa, is characteristically asymmetric and segmental. Epithelioid granulomas may be seen in some patients.[2]
Ulcerative colitis
Ulcerative colitis is "inflammation of the colon that is predominantly confined to the mucosa. Its major symptoms include diarrhea, rectal bleeding, the passage of mucus, and abdominal pain."[3]
Etiology/cause
Twin studies show that both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors. In Crohn's disease, 20% to 50% of monozygotic twins are concordant whereas less than 10% of dizygotic twins are concordant.[4] For ulcerative colitis, the concordance rate in monozygotic twins is about 16% and in dizygotic twins is about 4%.[4]
References
- ↑ Anonymous (2024), Inflammatory bowel disease (English). Medical Subject Headings. U.S. National Library of Medicine.
- ↑ Anonymous (2024), Crohn Disease (English). Medical Subject Headings. U.S. National Library of Medicine.
- ↑ Anonymous (2024), Colitis, Ulcerative (English). Medical Subject Headings. U.S. National Library of Medicine.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Halme L, Paavola-Sakki P, Turunen U, Lappalainen M, Farkkila M, Kontula K (2006). "Family and twin studies in inflammatory bowel disease". World J. Gastroenterol. 12 (23): 3668–72. PMID 16773682. [e]