Inflammatory Bowel Disease:

Immunological, Demographical, and Genetic Findings

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affects the colon and the small intestine. Though there are many subtypes of IBD, the most common and well-known are Crowns disease and ulcerative colitis (WebMD.com, 2011). Crohn's disease causes symptoms such as abdominal pains, diarrhea, vomit, weight loss, as well as many non-digestive system related pains (WebMD.com, 2011). Ulcerative colitis is quite similar to Crohn's disease due to noticeable symptoms, however, internally the two attack different areas of the body. Ulcerative colitis is experienced in the large intestine or colon, but goes through phases of outbreak and dormancy, while Crohn's disease is specific to the intestine (WebMD.com, 2011).

The estimation of diagnosed Americans with IBD is roughly near 1.4 million, and patients are usually diagnosed in their early teenage years through early adulthood (Tresca, 2006). With such a large amount of people suffering from this disease, scientists...
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