Epidemiology and natural history of fibrostenosing inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are chronic, relapsing inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases. CD frequently results in transmural inflammation and is more commonly associated with stricturing diseases compared with UC. Inflammation in UC is usually only limited to the mucosa and stricture formation in the colon occurs rarely. Strictures in IBD can be secondary to either inflammation or fibrosis and it is important to determine the aetiology to provide definitive treatment. Once strictures occur, they can be challenging to manage. Despite the advent of multiple new therapeutic agents for IBD, there has been no significant impact on the incidence and morbidity of strictures.