If you have recently been told you have inflamatory bowel disease (IBD) there are probably many questions running through your mind. We hope this leaflet will help you understand more about your condition, how you can help yourself, and the treatment you may receive.

What is inflammatory bowel disease or "IBD"?

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a term used to describe two main diseases, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, which cause inflammation of the bowel. This inflammation is thought to be due to dysfunction of your immune system, and is not due to an infection.

Ulcerative colitis causes inflammation of only the inner lining of the large bowel (colon and rectum). When only the rectum is involved it is sometimes called ulcerative proctitis or just proctitis. When the entire colon is involved it is sometimes called pan-colitis.

Crohn's disease causes inflammation of the full thickness of the bowel wall and may involve any part of the digestive tract from the mouth to the anus (back passage). Most frequently the ileum, which is the last part of the small bowel, the large bowel (or colon) or both are involved. These patterns of disease location are referred to as ileitis, colitis and ileo-colitis respectively.

For more information visit Gastroenterological Society of Australia(GESA)