Anti tumour necrosis factor - alpha : does it rescue bone loss in inflammatory bowel disease patients? Sundaram G. Veerappan 10.25419/rcsi.10815974.v1 https://repository.rcsi.com/articles/thesis/Anti_tumour_necrosis_factor_-_alpha_does_it_rescue_bone_loss_in_inflammatory_bowel_disease_patients_/10815974 <p>I. I inflammatory Bowe1 Disease</p> <p>I. I. I General Overview</p> <p>Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of disorders of the gastrointestinal tract characterized by intestinal inflammation and a chronic relapsing course. IBD has traditionally been categorized as either ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn's disease (CD) on the basis of clinical, radiological, endoscopic and histological criteria [I], (Figure 1.1 and Figure 1.2). About 10 % of colitis cases show overlapping features of the two major forms and are designated intermediate colitis [I]. Both UC and CD are commonly characterized by a series of clinical exacerbations and remissions requiring long term use of medications, and frequently necessitating surgical interventions.</p> <p><strong>Figure 1.1: </strong>Endoscopic appearance of Ulcerative colitis [2] - <em>marked by diffuse,</em></p> <p><em>superficial inflammation of the colonic mucosa, beginning in the rectum and extending </em><em>proximally to involve any contiguous length of colon.</em></p> <p><strong>Figure 1.2: </strong>Endoscopic appearance of Crohn's colitis [2] - <em>marked by transmural </em><em>nflammation of the colonic mucosa.</em></p> <p><em><strong>see figures in thesis.</strong></em></p> <p>Although the etiology of IBD remains to be defined, recent experimental and clinical studies suggests that the initiation and pathogenesis of these diseases are multi-factorial, involving interactions between genetic, environmental and immune factors [3].</p> <p>I. I.2 Prevalence and Incidence</p> <p>IBD is not evenly distributed world-wide. There is a clear tendency to a higher incidence in developed countries compared with less developed countries [4]. North America, the United Kingdom and Scandinavia have the highest rates [4]. In areas in which data are available over a number of years, the incidence of UC has remained relatively constant [S-81. Unlike UC, the incidence of CD has risen progressively since its original description [9-131. In a European study the reported incidence rates for UC and CD in Ireland were 14.8 and 5.9 per 100,000 populations over a two year period 1991-1993 [14]. UC and CD are most commonly diagnosed in late adolescence and early adulthood, but the diagnosis may occur at all ages.</p> 2019-11-22 18:25:58 Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Osteoporosis Bone Resorption