Flares after several trouble-free years

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) occurs when something triggers an inflammatory response in the bowel. This is perpetuated by interaction with gut flora in genetically predisposed people, Gary Culliton reports in his latest Clinical Update. The treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is improving, and has changed radically over the past decade. Disease is treated more aggressively at an earlier stage. The aim nowadays is to alter the natural history of the disease, consultant gastroenterologist Dr Barbara Ryan told a recent Hermitage Clinic GP educational evening. In terms of aetiology, genetic and environmental factors underlie IBD. In terms of genetics, up…