Symptoms include bloody diarrhea and abdominal pain and are similar for both types of patients, except fatigue is more common in patients with Crohn's disease.
Surgical treatment involves removing the affected part of the intestine.
The researchers performed surgery on 56 patients with Crohn's disease and on 83 with ulcerative colitis. A year later, scores on a test designed to measure health-related quality of life were significantly improved in seven out of eight categories of the test compared to the scores before surgery, according to the report published in the May issue of the Archives of Surgery . According to Thirlby, early in the course of the disease, physicians should inform most patients with ulcerative colitis of the surgical options and offer consultation to discuss the pros and cons of surgery. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.