Inflammatory bowel disease
| Inflammatory bowel diseases | |
|---|---|
| Micrograph showing inflammation of the large bowel in a case of inflammatory bowel disease. Colonic biopsy. H&E stain. | |
| Specialty | Gastroenterology |
| Differential diagnosis | Gastroenteritis, irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease |
| Frequency | 11.2 million worldwide (2015) |
| Deaths | 47,400 worldwide (2015) |
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of inflammatory conditions of the colon and small intestine, with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (UC) being the principal types. Crohn's disease affects the small intestine and large intestine, as well as the mouth, esophagus, stomach and the anus, whereas UC primarily affects the colon and the rectum.