Two Kinds of Bowel Disease
An inflammatory bowel disease can come in a variety of forms, but two of the more common ones are ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. These two diseases appear very similar in a number of respects but their underlying differences can affect what kind of treatment the patient receives. While both diseases affect the intestine and colon, they usually differ in terms of specific location and just how severe the inflammation is. Once the disease has been identified, the patient and those assisting him or her can take more active measures to begin proper treatment.
Ulcerative colitis naturally will produce inflammation in the colon and rectum, as will Crohn’s disease. The difference is that Crohn’s disease can also produce inflammation in the intestine and even as far up as the stomach, esophagus and the mouth. Clearly the latter of the two afflictions is more pervasive and can affect a far greater area than the former.
Another step in determining the type of bowel disorders that patients might have has to do with the amount of inflammation present. Not surprisingly, Crohn’s disease is not only more likely to be further in the body, but its inflammation levels are more likely to be much deeper as well. Ulcerative colitis on the other hand, tends to produce inflammation that only affects the more superficial layers in the large intestine and is therefore easier to treat.
After identifying the bowel problems, proper treatment can then begin. The drugs that tend to be used in both cases tend to be the same. There are some that have shown to be more effective with one or the other, but otherwise medical treatment is usually the same. The difference comes with surgery. Ulcerative colitis can usually be completely stopped by the removal of the large intestine, since the inflammation is usually restricted to that area. With Crohn’s disease, however, a colostomy is no guarantee that the disease won’t reappear higher in the body.
A bowel disease should not be wished upon anyone, but if you have to have one, ulcerative colitis is the better choice. It has a more regular and predictable inflammation pattern, and it does not affect areas beyond the large intestine. Compare this to the deepness of inflammation that Crohn’s disease can bring and the fact that those inflammation levels can even reach the mouth, and it is easy to see why ulcerative colitis is easier to treat.
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