Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease a Conference on Morbidity and Mortality of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Introduction. Before discussing the findings of the Conference on Morbidity and Mortality of Inflammatory Bowel Disease 0BD), a short review is indicated of the two conditions, which are referred to under the term of IBD: ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a mucosal disease. It is a continuous inflammation which is restricted to the colon. Crohn’s disease involves the deeper layers of the bowel. It may affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus. The inflammation is almost always segmental. Inflammatory bowel disease can be diagnosed only once the etiology of inflammation remains unknown after all other recognizable causes of injury such as infection, radiation, ischemic colitis, gay bowl syndrome, etc. have been excluded. In most instances, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease can be easily separated and appear to be the manifestations of two separate diseases. There is, however, some evidence that suggests that UC and CD may represent two extremes of the same disease. This concept is based on the observation that occasionally patients present with an intermediary form in which the two conditions cannot be clearly separated on clinical or pathologic grounds. There is also genetic evidence to support this concept: often in the same famil~ or even between identical twins, one individual may suffer from Crohn’s disease while the other from ulcerative colitis.1 Furthermore, the extraintestinal complications of the two diseases are similar.