December 1 – 7 is officially Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness Week. Both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) which can cause severe cramping, debilitating discomfort and unintentional weight loss. Living with these disorders can make it difficult for people to perform everyday tasks.
Although Crohn’s and Colitis are the major categories of IBD, they are two very different diseases. Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract, while colitis is a chronic inflammatory condition limited to the colon or large intestine. Crohn’s and Colitis are life-long diseases, but symptoms can be managed with treatment.
IBD affects an estimated 1.6 million Americans and there are more than 70,000 new cases of IBD in the United States each year.