[Health Tip] Idiopathic Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Early Aggressive Treatment Is Crucial

Chronic Inflammation of Unknown Cause
Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis as Representative
Symptoms Include Diarrhea, Abdominal Pain, Weight Loss, and Bloody Stool
Complete Cure Difficult but Daily Life Recovery Possible

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a condition characterized by chronic inflammation of unknown cause. The main types are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Recently, it has been occurring more frequently among young people, raising concerns about long-term treatment. However, with the development of early diagnostic technologies and the emergence of various treatments, the number of patients living normal lives through appropriate treatment is increasing.

Suspect if you have diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss, or bloody stool

The prevalence of ulcerative colitis in South Korea is 8.0 per 100,000 people, and Crohn's disease is 3.8 per 100,000. Although the exact cause is unknown, experts believe that an increase in the consumption of meat, processed foods, and instant foods, along with a clean environment that makes it difficult to build immunity, causes abnormal immune system reactions. Additionally, advances in diagnostic technology and increased early screening have led to more previously hidden patients being identified than before.

Inflammatory bowel disease is broadly divided into Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. These two conditions have overlapping symptoms and can be easily confused. Crohn's disease mainly presents with diarrhea, abdominal pain, and weight loss. While diarrhea and abdominal pain are common symptoms, weight loss is rare, so it is important to check for weight loss even if the patient has similar abdominal pain. Ulcerative colitis primarily causes bloody stool. Since inflammation starts in the rectum and moves upward, bleeding occurs. If bloody stool occurs frequently without any anal disease, a specialist should be consulted for examination.

Crohn's disease involves inflammation that penetrates deeply into the intestinal wall and can occur anywhere in the stomach, small intestine, or large intestine. Inflammation in the stomach and small intestine, where nutrients are absorbed, affects body weight. Ulcerative colitis is limited to inflammation in the rectum and colon. It shows a typical pattern of symptoms, starting from the rectum just above the anus and slowly moving upward to the sigmoid colon and descending colon. Although there are some atypical cases, most show a continuous pattern. In contrast, Crohn's disease occurs irregularly.

Professor Minseop Kwak of the Department of Gastroenterology at Kangdong Kyung Hee University Hospital is explaining inflammatory bowel disease.
[Photo by Kangdong Kyung Hee University Hospital]

Complete cure is difficult, but maintaining 'remission' is the goal

Inflammatory bowel disease is difficult to cure completely, so the treatment goal is to maintain remission, where all symptoms disappear. Patients are classified into stages 1 to 3 depending on their symptoms, and doctors carefully monitor the patient's condition and administer medication accordingly. The basic medication for IBD is 5-ASA. It is used to induce and maintain remission in relatively mild cases. Steroids are used when 5-ASA alone is insufficient or symptoms are moderate or severe. Although very effective, steroids have many side effects with long-term use, so they are used for short-term treatment during acute phases. Immunomodulators are given to patients who have used steroids to maintain remission.

Recently, infliximab has shown good effects and is gaining attention. It is administered to patients with moderate to severe disease who are difficult to treat with first- or second-line drugs. More human protein-like drugs such as adalimumab (Humira) and more targeted drugs have also been released. Several drugs are currently under research or in clinical trials.

Professor Kwak Min-seop of the Department of Gastroenterology at Kangdong Kyung Hee University Hospital said, "The most important thing is to take medication properly and visit regularly for check-ups, even if you are busy. Also, rather than falling into depression thinking you are a patient, think of it as having 'one bad friend that needs to be controlled with medication' and live your life like a normal person." He added, "Above all, if diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss, and bloody stool persist repeatedly for three months without any specific cause, it means inflammatory bowel disease has become chronic, so you should definitely consult a related specialist."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.