Inflammatory Bowel Disease & Bowel Obstruction

Crohn's disease can affect any part of the GI tract from mouth to anus in patchy ("skip") lesions involving the full thickness of the bowel wall, commonly causing fistulas and strictures; ulcerative colitis is limited to the colon and rectum in a continuous pattern affecting only the innermost lining, commonly causing bloody diarrhea as a hallmark symptom. Both are chronic, relapsing autoimmune-mediated conditions managed with anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating medications, and both carry an increased long-term colorectal cancer risk requiring more frequent screening than the general population.