Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

What is IBD?

IBD is a group of diseases that cause gastrointestinal (GI) tract inflammation. It affects adults and children and causes various troublesome symptoms that impact your quality of life, including painful cramps, diarrhoea and feeling tired.  

Although IBD is a chronic (long-term), incurable condition, several treatments can manage your symptoms and stop IBD from affecting your everyday life. This can include medications to reduce inflammation, as well as colorectal surgery if your symptoms are more severe.

Our specialists at St Thomas’ and Evelina London Children’s hospitals treat various different types of hernias in adults and children and offer personalised advice on how to prevent them.

Who is at risk of IBD?

Anyone can develop IBD, but you may have an elevated risk if it runs in your family. This is particularly true if you have a close family member (parent or sibling) with the condition.

Types of IBD

There are 2 main types of IBD:

• ulcerative colitis – causes swelling and ulcers (sores) to develop in your large intestine
• Crohn’s disease – causes ulcers to develop anywhere in your GI tract, particularly the small intestine and upper part of the large intestine

Symptoms of IBD 

Symptoms of IBD can range from mild to severe, and they may come and go. Remission is when your symptoms do not occur. You may experience weeks or months in remission before experiencing a flare-up of symptoms.

Common symptoms of IBD include:  

• pain and cramps in your lower stomach  
• blood in your poo 
• persistent, chronic diarrhoea 
• fatigue 
• unexplained weight loss

IBD symptoms in children 

Children can also experience flare-ups and remission of their IBD symptoms.

Common IBD symptoms in children can include:  

• stomach pain or cramps 
• persistent diarrhoea 
• feeling more tired than usual 
• slow weight gain or growth  
• blood in their poo

If you or your child are experiencing symptoms of IBD, book an appointment with one of our specialists for a fast and accurate diagnosis.

What causes IBD? 

IBD occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks your GI system’s healthy tissue, leading to inflammation and ulcers. It’s unclear why this happens, but researchers are looking to understand the cause.  

Experts believe that certain factors can trigger IBD. These factors may not be the cause, but could increase your likelihood of it developing.  

Some of these triggers may include:

• smoking
• persistent antibiotic use
• long-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• stress

While certain foods may worsen your IBD symptoms, food itself does not cause IBD.

Some of the foods and drinks that may exacerbate your IBD symptoms include:  

• alcohol 
• caffeine 
• dairy 
• lots of fibre 
• high fat  
• ultra high processed foods

Complications of IBD

IBD can cause further health problems, some more serious than others.

Potential complications of IBD include:  

• anaemia 
• malnutrition 
• osteoporosis 
• mouth sores 
• liver disease 
• swollen joints 
• kidney stones 
• perforated bowel  
• colon cancer (IBD increases your risk of it developing)  
• anal fistula

However, with ongoing care and support, we can minimise your risk of complications and safeguard your health.   

If you or your child may be at an increased risk of IBD, our specialists can help. Complete an online enquiry today and our team will be in touch to book an appointment.  

Diagnosing IBD

The first step in diagnosing IBD is a physical examination. We’ll also ask about your symptoms, their severity and how often they come and go.  

Next, we’ll refer you for further tests like:  

• blood tests – to check for malnutrition, vitamin deficiencies, anaemia and inflammation markers
• capsule endoscopy – a wireless camera pill that is swallowed and takes a video of your intestinal tract 
• colonoscopy – we examine your large intestine and rectum with a camera (colonoscope) gently inserted into your bottom
• endoscopy – we pass a thin, flexible camera (endoscope) down your throat to examine your GI tract
• computerised tomography (CT) scan – to capture images of your GI tract
• flexible sigmoidoscopy – to examine the lower part of your bowel with an endoscope
• magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan – to help create detailed images of your GI tract
• upper endoscopy – to assess your stomach, oesophagus and small intestine with an endoscope

We can effectively diagnose or rule out IBD through numerous investigative tests.  

If you are looking for a fast and accurate diagnosis of IBD by one of our world-leading consultants, get in touch with our helpful customer service team to book an appointment.

IBD treatment 

Treatment for IBD varies depending on your type and the severity of your symptoms.  

Usually, we will recommend using medications first. These can include:  

• antibiotics – if you have an infection 
• anti-diarrhoea medication – can be helpful when managing chronic diarrhoea. However, the medication is not given to children with active IBD 
• biologics – to help calm your immune system and prevent it from releasing antibodies that trigger your IBD
• corticosteroids – these may help to calm inflammation 
• immunosuppressants – these suppress your immune system and stop it from overreacting and triggering IBD symptoms 
• nutritional therapy – in the form of Exclusive Enteral Nutrition (EEN) for children that replaces all solid food with a complete liquid formula diet for a defined period. This specialised diet provides all necessary calories, protein, vitamins and minerals and can be consumed orally or through a nasogastric (NG) tube passed through the nose into the stomach

We may also recommend gastrointestinal surgery if medications do not improve your condition and your symptoms become severe.  

Surgeries recommended for severe IBD cases can include:  

• colectomy – removes part or all of your colon  
• stoma surgery – an opening is created in your abdominal wall so we can remove a small part of your bowel through it, allowing waste to empty into a bag that sticks to your stomach 
• laparoscopic-assisted colorectal surgery – using minimally invasive (keyhole surgery) techniques to perform various colorectal surgeries to treat IBD, enhancing your recovery and minimising potential complications and postoperative pain 

Treating IBD in adults and children is similar and our experts will discuss treatment options based on individual needs. Our specialists work as part of a multidisciplinary team to ensure the best personalised care and outcomes.  

If you would like to speak to one of our consultants about treatment options for IBD, contact our team to book an appointment at a time that’s convenient for you.