Colitis Vs. Crohn's Disease

Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are the two conditions that comprise inflammatory bowel disease. Both involve inflammation of the intestinal tracts and can lead to malnutrition. Medication is typically the first course of treatment for both diseases, but surgery is often necessary.

Identification

• In ulcerative colitis, inflammation is confined to the large intestine, or colon. Crohn's disease can include inflammation along any point of the entire digestive tract, from the lips to the anus.

Symptoms

• Both diseases cause abdominal cramping and severe diarrhea, but bloody stool is more common in ulcerative colitis. Crohn's disease symptoms depend on the extent and location of the disease.

Prevention/Solution

• Surgery to remove the colon is the only cure for ulcerative colitis. There is no known cure for Crohn's, however, because, even after surgery the disease can affect different parts of the bowel at different times.

Features

• Patients with Crohn's disease are subject to significant perianal sores and fistulas, which are tubular pockets in the anal area. However, neither condition is common to ulcerative colitis, according to GI Tract.info.

Warning

• According to the Internet Pathology Laboratory for Medical Education at the University of Utah, patients with prolonged ulcerative colitis are at increased risk for developing colon cancer.