Inflammatory bowel disease, known as IBD, is a chronic inflammation of the digestive tract. It includes conditions such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. People with IBD may experience persistent symptoms like frequent diarrhea, weight loss, abdominal pain and fatigue.
There is no cure and no exact cause, though researchers continue to look at how genes, the microbiome and environmental factors play a role in this chronic disease. Dr. Amanda Johnson, a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist, helped explain IBD and whether diet can help.
IBD is a broad term for chronic inflammation of your digestive tract. Two types are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
“Ulcerative colitis really tends to only involve the colon and be more of a superficial type inflammation; whereas Crohn’s disease can impact anything in the intestine, essentially, from the mouth all the way down to the anus,” said Johnson.