What Are the Common Signs and Symptoms of IBD?
4/7/2023
Many people suffer from the challenging gastrointestinal (GI) results of inflammatory bowel disease, commonly known as IBD, and often presume it’s something they’ll experience for the rest of their life. However, our Texas gastroenterology specialists want you to know that you do not have to suffer these symptoms. Help is available — and it may be closer than you think. At Texas Digestive Disease Consultants, we aim to educate you on your GI symptoms and provide treatment options to help get you back to living your best life.
What is IBD?
Inflammatory bowel disease is simply chronic inflammation of the GI tract. Two conditions you’ve most likely heard of fall under this disease heading — Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. While it might just seem like an uncomfortable symptom you have to live with, intestinal inflammation can cause irreversible damage to the digestive tract over time.
Though the precise cause of inflammatory bowel disease has not been established, it is generally connected to an unchecked immune system. It is thought that a person with inflammatory bowel disease has an immune system that is not reacting correctly to environmental triggers, such as viruses and bacteria, and has a family member who has inflammatory bowel disease.
Common signs and symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease can include:
- Difficulty having a bowel movement
- Diarrhea
- Unintentional weight loss
- Blood in the stool
- Exhaustion
- Abdominal pain
How is IBD treated?
After a diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease, the main course of action is to diminish inflammation in the intestines to reduce symptoms. We may try various treatment options, and our goal is that you will eventually experience prolonged remission. Common IBD treatments may include:
- Changes to your diet
- Supplements such as Vitamin D, iron, calcium, and others
- Anti-inflammatory medications
- Anti-diarrheal medications
The GI specialists at Texas Digestive Disease Consultants can help determine a treatment plan ideal for your concerns. It may require a bit of investigation to identify a treatment option that helps alleviate your symptoms and GI inflammation, but our team will be with you every step of the way to find the right solution for your needs.
Get help for inflammatory bowel disease in Texas
If you experience symptoms like abdominal pain, difficulty passing stool, loose and watery stool, or other GI problems on a daily or weekly basis, it may be a sign of inflammatory bowel disease. At Texas Digestive Disease Consultants, our board-certified gastroenterologists can help identify, treat, and manage inflammatory bowel disease and the troublesome symptoms that come along with it. If you are worried you might have IBD and want to start living life with less stress and fewer symptoms, request a consultation at one of our locations throughout the state of Texas.