Best Inflammatory Bowel Surgery Doctors

A gastroenterologist is a doctor who specialises in digestive issues and problems with the digestive tract. Find a gastroenterologist who specialises in treating inflammatory bowel disease if your disease progresses to an advanced stage.

While inflammatory bowel disease is rarely fatal, it is a severe condition that can lead to life-threatening complications in some cases. These include:

• Colon cancer
• Skin, eye and joint inflammation
• Cancer 
• Primary sclerosing cholangitis
• Blood clots
• Bowel obstruction
• Malnutrition
• Fistulas
• Anal fissure
• Toxic megacolon
• Perforated colon
• Severe dehydration

Although the exact cause of IBD is unclear, it is caused by a malfunctioning immune system. To defend the body, a properly functioning immune system destroys foreign organisms such as viruses and bacteria. The immune system reacts inappropriately to environmental stimuli in IBD, resulting in gastrointestinal inflammation. There tends to be a genetic factor as well, as people with a family history of IBD are more likely to develop this type of immune response.

Colitis treatment varies depending on the cause. If it is due to a food allergy or a drug side effect, the doctor will suggest eliminating the food from your diet or changing medications. The aim of colon inflammation treatment is to alleviate the symptoms that cause the inflammation.

The following medications can be used to treat colitis:

• Anti-inflammatory medicines 
• Immunosuppressants 
• Antibiotics 
• Anti-diarrhoea medications 
• Iron, calcium, and vitamin D supplements

After ruling out all potential reasons for the signs and symptoms, your doctor will most likely diagnose inflammatory bowel disease. You will need a combination of tests and procedures to validate an IBD diagnosis such as:

• Tests for anemia or infection
• Stool examination
• Colonoscopy
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy
• Upper endoscopy
• Capsule endoscopy
• Balloon-assisted enteroscopy
• X-ray
• CT Scan
• MRI