An inflammatory bowel disease can come in a variety of forms, but two of the more common ones are ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. These two diseases appear very similar in a number of respects but their underlying differences can affect what kind of treatment the patient receives. While both diseases affect the intestine and colon, they usually differ in terms of specific location and just how severe the inflammation is. Once the disease has been identified, the patient and those assisting him or her can take more active measures to begin proper treatment.
Ulcerative colitis naturally will produce inflammation in the colon and rectum, as will Crohn’s disease. The difference is that Crohn’s disease can also produce inflammation in the intestine and even as far up as the stomach, esophagus and the mouth. Clearly the latter of the two afflictions is more pervasive and can affect a far greater area than the former.
Identifying a bowel disease also involves looking at the severity of the inflammation. Just as Crohn’s disease has the potential to affect a greater area than ulcerative colitis, its level of inflammation can also be much more severe. Ulcerative colitis tends to produce inflammation that is uniform and regulated only to the superficial layers found in the inner lining of the bowel. In contrast, Crohn’s disease tends to involve inflammation that is much deeper and goes beyond the superficial layers.
After identifying the bowel problems, proper treatment can then begin. The drugs that tend to be used in both cases tend to be the same. There are some that have shown to be more effective with one or the other, but otherwise medical treatment is usually the same. The difference comes with surgery. Ulcerative colitis can usually be completely stopped by the removal of the large intestine, since the inflammation is usually restricted to that area. With Crohn’s disease, however, a colostomy is no guarantee that the disease won’t reappear higher in the body.
As you can see, the bowel disease that is harder to deal with is Crohn’s disease. As its inflammation patterns tend to be more irregular, can be found deeper in the tissue lining, and sometimes appears very high up in the body, treating this condition effectively is difficult. For those with ulcerative colitis, there is still a great deal to be concerned with, but the inflammation levels are not as high and because they are generally restricted to the colon, a colostomy, as much as it should be avoided, can at least put a stop to the disease.
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