Chronic inflammation of the intestinal tract marks inflammatory bowel disease(IBD). Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s both fall under this umbrella but are distinct. The former, colitis, affects the large bowel and rectum while Crohn’s can foment patches throughout the digestive tract.
Both are alike in causing pain and diarrhea as well as severe weight loss and malnutrition.
Remedies? Steroids for inflammation, antibiotics to fight pathogens and surgery to remove diseased sections. Yet, often these tools lead to more problems: steroids upset the metabolism, antibiotics kill good bacteria and surgery carries risks as well as expense.
Probiotics are being considered because of their role in immunity and gut flora.
Some studies suggest that probiotics may lengthen the remission periods between bouts of IBD. Saccharomyces boulardii was found to be helpful in preventing relapse but others were disappointing.
Further reading on inflammatory bowel disease and probiotics:
Diet, microbes, and host genetics: the perfect storm in inflammatory bowel diseases.
Recombinant probiotic therapy in experimental colitis in mice.
Probiotics in the management of irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease.
Probiotics for human health -new innovations and emerging trends.
Probiotic bacteria in the prevention and the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.