The difficult-to-diagnose disease that affects more than 300,000 Spaniards

Today, there is an inflammatory disease that affects 1 percent of the Spanish population, but it is not easy to diagnose because it presents nonspecific symptoms that could also be confused with other pathologies. We are talking about Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), with more than 350,000 patients and two different variants: ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.

Due to its nonspecific symptoms, IBD can take more than a year to diagnose in half of cases, and can even take up to five years to identify the pathology. It is a chronic disease of unknown cause, characterized by inflammation of the colon and/or small intestine, which presents in the form of flare-ups, primarily affecting young people between 20 and 40 years of age.

These are the symptoms that may warn of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

The frequency and severity of flare-ups can be highly variable and unpredictable (since this disease occurs with flare-ups), although according to research, half of those affected experience mild symptoms. In fact, they are asymptomatic most of the time . This highly prevalent inflammatory disease (it affects more than 350,000 people in Spain) affects men and women equally and can appear at any age, although it is most commonly diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40, with a second peak incidence occurring between the ages of 50 and 70.

The overall incidence in Spain is 16 cases per 10,000 people per year (7.5 for Crohn's disease and 8 for ulcerative colitis), an incidence that has doubled in recent years. And what are these confusing symptoms? According to experts, the most common symptoms are swelling and inflammation in the tissues of the digestive tract , as well as loss of appetite.

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, two aspects of the same problem

As we've discussed, inflammatory bowel disease has two common manifestations. The first is Crohn's disease , which is characterized by swelling of the lining of the digestive tract, usually in its deepest layers and most frequently in the small intestine. Ulcerative colitis, however, causes inflammation and ulcers in the lining of the colon and rectum.

In both cases, the most visible symptoms often include severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding in some cases, chronic fatigue , and weight loss. In many patients, the symptoms are mild, but in others, they can become debilitating and even life-threatening.

Inflammatory bowel disease forces sufferers to cancel plans, meals, social gatherings, and more, as the urgency often requires a supportive environment. This is a disease that can become chronic, is unpredictable, and presents with pain and diarrhea , which go hand in hand with the urgency. Because of these scenarios, experts assure that IBD can seriously affect self-esteem , social relationships, and quality of life, even causing anxiety.