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The Similarities and Differences between IBS and IBD

IBS and IBD are very common acronyms in the list of gastrointestinal diseases. IBD is an acronym for Inflammatory Bowel Disease, while the full meaning of IBS is Irritable Bowel Syndrome. These two conditions have similar names and are often confused with each other. They also share similar symptoms, and this adds to the confusion most of the time.

IBS and IBD are very distinct conditions, and in fact, a person can have these two conditions occurring at the same time.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease & Symptoms

Inflammatory Bowel Disease refers to a group of inflammatory conditions that affect the digestive tract (the large and small bowels). The common types known are Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative colitis. Crohn’s disease can affect any part of the digestive tract, but ulcerative colitis usually involves the large intestine. Some other types include; Pancolitis, ulcerative proctitis, proctosigmoiditis and so on). The name of the types of inflammatory Bowel Disease shows that these inflammatory conditions can affect any part of the digestive tract. Inflammatory bowel disease is a very painful condition and can be life-threatening in many cases. [1]

Symptoms of IBD include

  • Diarrhea
  • Stomach pain
  • Bloating
  • Bleeding ulcers in the stomach that cause severe pain and blood to appear in the stool.
  • Anemia
  • Weight loss

Several complications can arise as a result of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and they include; Malnutrition, bowel obstruction, intestinal perforations and rupture, fistula, colon cancer and so on.