Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are two conditions commonly referred to as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease affecting different areas of the digestive tract in different people. Crohn's disease can be both painful and debilitating. It can also lead to life-threatening conditions, therefore, we need to understand what this disease is and how to treat it.
What is Crohn's disease?
Crohn's disease is a transmural chronic inflammation that usually affects the distal ileum and colon but it can also affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus.
Transmural inflammation means that it is not only limited to the mucous membrane on the surface but also involves all layers of the intestinal mucosa, full-thickness. All layers are affected and inflamed, however, it is not continuous along the length of the intestine.