Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a range of conditions where there is inflammation throughout the intestines. Most cases of inflammatory bowel disease are either Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Crohn’s disease affects any part of the gastrointestinal tract (from mouth to anus), whereas ulcerative colitis exclusively affects the large bowel (colon).
Inflammatory bowel disease can present in many ways, but often this is with a change in bowel habit to looser bowel motions, blood in the bowel motion or abdominal pain. Investigation usually includes blood tests, a stool test called faecal calprotectin, a colonoscopy, CT scan or MRI scan. Once the diagnosis of IBD has been confirmed, we can discuss the treatment options with you.
We can treat most cases of inflammatory bowel disease with medication, but some patients require surgery. We offer surgery for patients with IBD, and in most cases, this can be performed using a keyhole technique but sometimes requires open surgery.
