IBD and Crohn's disease
Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are chronic inflammation of the bowel. Most patients are managed with medication; surgery is reserved for complications.
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What IBD and Crohn's disease are
Inflammatory bowel disease covers two lifelong conditions — Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Crohn's can affect any part of the digestive tract and inflames the full thickness of the bowel wall.
It runs a relapsing and remitting course: periods of active disease with symptoms, followed by quieter phases.
Symptoms
- Frequent diarrhoea, sometimes with blood or mucus
- Abdominal pain and cramping
- Weight loss and loss of appetite
- Fatigue and low energy
- Complications — strictures (narrowings) and fistulas
How it is diagnosed
Colonoscopy with biopsies is the key test — it shows the pattern of inflammation and confirms the diagnosis under the microscope.
MRI is used to see the full thickness of the bowel and to map strictures and fistulas, and stool tests rule out infection first.
Medical treatment first
Treatment starts with medication: aminosalicylates for mild disease, steroids to settle flares, and immunomodulators to keep the disease quiet.
Biologic therapies are the next step for moderate to severe disease, and are now routinely available in India at a fraction of Western prices — a major reason patients travel here.
When surgery is needed
Surgery is reserved for complications — strictures that block the bowel, fistulas, abscesses, or disease that no longer responds to medication.
The approach is conservative: surgeons remove only the diseased segment and preserve as much bowel as possible. Many patients who have surgery still need long-term medication afterwards.
Questions
No. Most patients are treated with medication for years. Surgery is used for complications like strictures or fistulas that do not settle medically.
Yes. The main biologic therapies for IBD are available in Delhi NCR at considerably lower cost than in most Western countries.
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