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Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a term that refers to two main conditions: Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. It is a lifelong inflammatory disorder that affects the gastrointestinal tract. Managing IBD requires a multidisciplinary team approach, and specialist IBD nurses have an important role in this, providing education, support and advocacy to patients with IBD. This article provides an overview of the symptoms of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, as well as the medical, nutritional and surgical management strategies that can be used. It discusses the nurse’s role in management and the importance of using a multidisciplinary team approach to provide optimum patient care and support.
Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2018.e11265
CitationYounge L (2018) An overview of inflammatory bowel disease. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2018.e11265
Peer reviewThis article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software
Correspondencelisa.younge@bartshealth.nhs.uk
Conflict of interestNone declared
Published online: 10 December 2018
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