What is Inflammatory Bowel Disease?

Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic inflammatory condition of the digestive tract. Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are forms of inflammatory bowel disease. Ulcerative colitis involves inflammation of the inner lining of the colon and rectum. Crohn's disease may involve inflammation anywhere in the digestive tract from the mouth to the rectum.

The following table identifies some of the differences and similarities between ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease:

	Ulcerative Colitis	Crohn's Disease
Average age of onset	Late teens and twenties	Late teens and twenties
Site of inflammation	Colon and rectum	Anywhere from the mouth to the rectum; most commonly in the small and/or large intestines
Number of people in the U.S. with this condition	About 500,000	About 500,000
Common symptoms during active stages	Bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain/cramping, rectal bleeding	Diarrhea, abdominal pain/cramping
Medications used for treatment	5-ASAs, steroids, other medications as prescribed by a doctor	Currently there are no drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat symptoms of mild Crohn's disease. However, medication is available to reduce the symptoms of moderate and severe cases. Ask your doctor for more information.