Inflammatory Bowel Disease is a systemic disease – it is not limited to the digestive tract but can affect nearly every organ system in the body. Extraintestinal manifestations are complications of IBD that occur outside of the bowel and this post gives an overview them.

In a healthy person the process of inflammation would stop after it protected the body from harm and helped to heal it. In people living with IBD the inflammation does not shut off and the result is open sores (ulcers) and bleeding in the intestines until the overactive immune system is brought under control. If the intestinal inflammation is left untreated then serious complications and irreversible damage can…

Fatigue is one of the most reported symptoms of people living with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Fatigue is not the same thing as being tired. When you are tired you…

Can you have both Crohn’s Disease AND Ulcerative Colitis? No. Can you have both Crohn’s Disease AND Colitis? Yes. Let me explain… In our community we often use the word colitis to refer to the IBD known as ulcerative colitis but is there a difference between what defines colitis and what defines ulcerative colitis?