August 1999 1. The term, inflammatory bowel disease, refers to two conditions called ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.
Patients experience chronic and recurring, abdominal pain, diarrhea and gastrointestinal bleeding.
The symptoms result from chronic inflammation of the intestines. Inflammatory bowel disease usually first appears in persons who are in their late teens and early twenties. It is most prevalent in regions of temperate climates that are highly industrialized, but rarely occurs in areas that are underdeveloped. While the exact cause of inflammatory bowel disease is not known, it is presumed to result from poor regulation of the immune system within the intestinal tract. The condition may result from the human body's abnormally vigorous immune response to normal bacteria in the intestine.