PHAR3819 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Naproxen, Isotretinoin
Document Summary
The inflammatory bowel diseases (ibds), consisting of ulcerative colitis (uc) and crohn"s disease (cd), are characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract in genetically susceptible individuals exposed to environmental risk factors. Estimates suggest 75,000 australians have ibd with numbers expected to increase to more than 100,000 by 2022. Characteristics of uc and cd: ulcerative colitis causes inflammation of only the inner lining of the colon and rectum. Crohn"s disease causes inflammation of the full thickness of the bowel wall and may involve any part of the digestive tract from the mouth to the anus most frequently the ileum. Both diseases often develop in teenagers and young adults although the disease can occur at any age. The symptoms of ulcerative colitis and crohn"s disease are very similar. The causes of both uc and crohn"s disease are not known and both diseases have similar types of contributing factors such as environmental, genetic and an inappropriate response by the body"s immune system.