Ulcerative Colitis

Patients with long-standing ulcerative colitis have shown signs of being more at risk for developing cancer. Research has looked at why that is the case and what can be done to prevent the cancer from progressing.

In this video interview, Palak Trivedi, BSc, MBBS, MRCP, from the University of Birmingham Centre for Liver Research, United Kingdom, discussed the implications his research findings have for IBD patients at The International Liver Congress 2015 in Vienna, Austria.

Americans' low-fiber diets that tend to be rich in red meats put them at risk for diverticulosis, and by age 60, roughly half of Americans have or have had diverticulosis. It's not clear how many patients with diverticulosis go on to develop diverticulitis, but once diverticulitis develops, 10-25% of patients need surgery, often urgently.

Assessing the quality of mounting pharmacological evidence, the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) has updated guidelines on the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

New research suggests bacteria used for beer and bread digestion could potentially be beneficial for combating yeast infections and autoimmune diseases like Crohn's disease.

Patients with irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D) suffer not only the pain and discomfort of frequent loose stools, but fear of incontinence. For many patients, that results in panic and anxiety.

Study results published in the European Respiratory Journal show that rates of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) incidence have significantly increased in individuals with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Serum-derived bovine immunoglobulin/protein isolate appears to be a safe and effective nutritional moiety in patients with refractory IBS-D or IBS-M.

Carol Burke, MD, FACG, FASGE, talks about her phase-3 placebo-controlled trial of Celecoxib in pediatric subjects with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) at the 2014 ACG Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA.

Inflammatory bowel diseases have an impact on the prognosis of multiple sclerosis, according to a study published in PLOS One.

Patients of Indian ancestry living in the United States are at greater risk for all types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) than other American populations, according to a new study by Reenu Malhotra, MD, and colleagues published online in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology on July 29, 2014.

Although small-bowel capsule endoscopy is often used to evaluate unexplained abdominal pain, a new analysis has found the procedure's diagnostic yield is limited.

Prebiotics and probiotics have been discussed frequently in the media for supposedly improving overall health, especially diseases related to the gut. However, the evidence on the efficacy and use of these dietary supplements is rather complicated.

Though constipation as a side effect of opioid therapy is generally considered a tolerability issue that can be treated with over-the-counter laxatives, opioid-induced constipation may still lead to serious gastrointestinal complications.

Postoperative surgical site infection is exceedingly rare after hemorrhoidectomy, and routine antibiotic prophylaxis seems to be unnecessary.

Genetics, diet, past trauma, and anxiety have all been thought to play a role in the cause of irritable bowel syndrome, but new research has found a clue to the disease.

Aggressive medical therapy might be more closely linked to mortality and malignancy in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease than the condition itself, according to a new study.

Primary prevention measures for upper GI bleeding should include NSAIDs, antiplatelet therapy, and anticoagulants appropriately, while secondary preventive measures should include testing and treating H. pylori and using long-term PPIs when appropriate.

Steven P. Levine, MD, says the implications of altering the microbiome may extend beyond C. difficile to mental health, given the new insight into the connection between the gut and mind.

In a clinical review published in Clinical and Experimental Gastroenterology, researchers from Iwate Medical University in Japan evaluated the long-term safety and efficacy of the novel serotonin-receptor agonist ramosetron in patients suffering from diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D).

Study shows gluten alters bowel functions in patients with IBS-D and that removal of gluten from the diet may reduce the frequency of bowel movements.

Recognizing that melatonin secretion from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract improves abdominal pain in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) but decreases with age, Polish researchers from the Medical University of Lodz aimed to define the effect of administering melatonin in postmenopausal women with different predominating IBS symptoms.

A high-potency probiotic supplement that mimics the effect of morphine in the gut may reduce the development of visceral pain in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Researchers claim that restricting dietary intake of fermentable short-chain carbohydrates improves GI symptoms in patients with IBS.

The stigma attached to chronic diseases such as IBS has been shown to negatively affect patients' self-image and sense of worth, leading to worse outcomes. Being aware of this and working to counteract the psychological effects of stigma can improve the patient-physician relationship and lead to better outcomes.