• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is the chronic inflammation and irritation of tissue in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
  
  
• IBD can occur anywhere from the mouth to the anus, although it most often affects the intestines.
  
  
• IBD is associated with symptoms such as abdominal cramping and pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, fever and elevated white blood cell count.
  
  
• Men and women appear to be at equal risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease.
  
  
• People with the condition may alternate between periods where symptoms are active and times when symptoms disappear (remission).
  
  
• The exact cause of IBD is unknown, but it appears to occur when intestinal cells, triggered to fight harmful substances in the digestive tract, continue to fight healthy intestinal lining.
  
  
• IBD is not generally considered preventable, and once it occurs it is a lifelong disease.
  
  
• In severe cases, IBD can lead to other conditions, including anemia, ulcers and toxic megacolon (in which the large intestine widens and loses muscle tone).
  
  
• IBD may increase a person's risk of developing colon cancer.
  
  
• More than one million Americans have been diagnosed with IBD according to the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG).
  
  
• In the United States there are 10 new cases of IBD for every 100,000 people each year.
  
  
• The two primary types of IBD are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
  
  
• Risk factors for IBD include family history, age (IBD most often occurs between the ages of 10 and 35) and race/ethnicity (IBD tends to affect whites, particularly those of a Jewish ethnic background).
  
  
• IBD should not be confused with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), another condition that affects the digestive tract.
  
  
• Medications such as aminosalicylates, corticosteroids and anti-immune therapy can help keep the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease in remission.
  
  
• The two most common procedures used to diagnose IBD are colonoscopy, barium studies and computed tomography (CT) scans.
  
  
• For people with Crohn's disease, cigarette smoking can increase the number and severity of symptom flare-ups.
  
  
• Up to 70 percent of IBD people with Crohn's disease require surgery at some point in their lives according to the ACG.

Have a question or want to share your own story about inflammatory bowel disease? Join the discussion at the Crohn's Disease and Colitis Message Board.