Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine focused on the digestive system and its disorders.
Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain,diarrhea,fever,abdominal distension,and weight loss. Complications outside of the gastrointestinal tract may include anemia,skin rashes,arthritis,inflammation of the eye,and fatigue. The skin rashes may be due to infections as well as pyoderma gangrenosum or erythema nodosum. Bowel obstruction may occur as a complication of chronic inflammation,and those with the disease are at greater risk of colon cancer and small bowel cancer.
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a long-term condition that results in inflammation and ulcers of the colon and rectum. The primary symptoms of active disease are abdominal pain and diarrhea mixed with blood. Weight loss,fever,and anemia may also occur. Often,symptoms come on slowly and can range from mild to severe. Symptoms typically occur intermittently with periods of no symptoms between flares. Complications may include abnormal dilation of the colon (megacolon),inflammation of the eye,joints,or liver,and colon cancer.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of inflammatory conditions of the colon and small intestine,Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis being the principal types. Crohn's disease affects the small intestine and large intestine,as well as the mouth,esophagus,stomach and the anus,whereas ulcerative colitis primarily affects the colon and the rectum.
Colitis is an inflammation of the colon. Colitis may be acute and self-limited or long-term. It broadly fits into the category of digestive diseases.
Toxic megacolon is an acute form of colonic distension. It is characterized by a very dilated colon (megacolon),accompanied by abdominal distension (bloating),and sometimes fever,abdominal pain,or shock.
The specific carbohydrate diet (SCD) is a restrictive diet originally created to manage celiac disease;it limits the use of complex carbohydrates. Monosaccharides are allowed,and various foods including fish,aged cheese and honey are included. Prohibited foods include cereal grains,potatoes and lactose-containing dairy products. It is a gluten-free diet since no grains are permitted.
Biological therapy, the use of medications called biopharmaceuticals or biologics that are tailored to specifically target an immune or genetic mediator of disease,plays a major role in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. Even for diseases of unknown cause,molecules that are involved in the disease process have been identified,and can be targeted for biological therapy. Many of these molecules,which are mainly cytokines,are directly involved in the immune system. Biological therapy has found a niche in the management of cancer,autoimmune diseases,and diseases of unknown cause that result in symptoms due to immune related mechanisms.
Faecal calprotectin is a biochemical measurement of the protein calprotectin in the stool. Elevated faecal calprotectin indicates the migration of neutrophils to the intestinal mucosa,which occurs during intestinal inflammation,including inflammation caused by inflammatory bowel disease. Under a specific clinical scenario,the test may eliminate the need for invasive colonoscopy or radio-labelled white cell scanning.
Prof. Herbert Lochs,MD was a prominent German and Austrian medical doctor and scientist.
Lloyd Mayer was an American gastroenterologist and immunologist. He was Professor and Co-Director of the Immunology institute at the Mount Sinai Medical Center,now known as the Lloyd Mayer Immunology Institute.
Serum-derived bovine immunoglobulin/protein isolate (SBI) is a medical food product derived from bovine serum obtained from adult cows in the United States. It is sold under the name EnteraGam.
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering all aspects of inflammatory bowel disease. It was established in 1995 and is published by Oxford University Press. It is the official journal of the Crohn's &Colitis Foundation. The editor-in-chief is Fabio Cominelli. According to the Journal Citation Reports,the journal has a 2016 impact factor of 4.525,ranking it 15th out of 79 journals in the category "Gastroenterology &Hepatology".
David T. Rubin is an American gastroenterologist and educator. He is the Joseph B. Kirsner Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago,where he is also the Chief of the Section of Gastroenterology,Hepatology and Nutrition. He also serves as the Co-Director of the Digestive Diseases Center.
Very early onset inflammatory bowel disease (VEOIBD) is a type of IBD which starts in people younger than 6 years of age. According to age we can distinguish more specifically two categories within the VEOIBD diagnosis - neonatal IBD and infantile IBD.
World Inflammatory Bowel Disease Day, also known as World IBD Day, is an annual event to raise awareness of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis,known collectively as inflammatory bowel disease. The day is coordinated by the European Federation of Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis Associations (EFCCA). It was created in 2010 during Digestive Disease Week in the United States and takes place on 19 May.
Segmental colitis associated with diverticulosis (SCAD) is a condition characterized by localized inflammation in the colon,which spares the rectum and is associated with multiple sac-like protrusions or pouches in the wall of the colon (diverticulosis). Unlike diverticulitis,SCAD involves inflammation of the colon between diverticula,while sparing the diverticular orifices. SCAD may lead to abdominal pain,especially in the left lower quadrant,intermittent rectal bleeding and chronic diarrhea.
Aleixo M. Muise is a Canadian scientist,pediatrician and gastroenterologist known for contributions to the understanding of very early onset inflammatory bowel disease. He is a professor of pediatrics at the University of Toronto,a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease,and a pediatric gastroenterologist at the Hospital for Sick Children.
Maria Teresa Abreu is an American gastroenterologist with a focus on inflammatory bowel disease. She was inducted into the Academy of Science,Engineering and Medicine of Florida for "her research in advancing understanding of therapeutic drug monitoring genotype–phenotype associations in inflammatory bowel diseases."
Shomron Ben-Horin is an Israeli physician,a co-founder &Chief Medical Officer of Evinature,and professor of medicine at the Tel-Aviv University.
