Fortunately, recent research and new medications offer the promise that these patients can live a full and normal life. These two diseases most commonly strike younger people in the prime of their life. The majority of patients are diagnosed between ages of 15 and 30 years old, although there is another peak between 60 and 80 years of age. Symptoms of disease Crohn's disease is a systemic disease characterized by patchy, full thickness inflammation of the bowel wall that can affect the entire digestive tract. Symptoms frequently include abdominal pain, cramps, diarrhea, rectal bleeding and weight loss.
Ulcerative colitis is a systemic disease limited to the colon and the rectum.
It is characterized by acute and chronic inflammation of the inner lining of the bowel. Fistula do not occur, obstruction is uncommon, but cramping, abdominal pain, diarrhea and rectal bleeding are typical symptoms. Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are both associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. Although the exact cause of inflammatory bowel disease is not yet known, great progress has been made in understanding the unique interplay between genetic and environmental factors. Proteins from bacteria in the intestine may interact with the immune system, leading to chronic intestinal irritation.