S7 • E8 Oct 11, 2006 26m
Inflammatory Bowl Disease, or IBD, is an umbrella term for several different gastrointestinal illnesses, by far the most prominent and serious being Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis (UC). Of the 1.2 million Americans currently estimated to have Inflammatory Bowel Disease, about half will have developed the condition between childhood and their 20's. But IBD can strike at any age; it targets both sexes equally; and, presently, there is no cure - although in life-threatening cases, removing the colon will effectively "end" Ulcerative Colitis. In this program we'll meet patients who have had IBD for some time, and young people who are just learning to deal with the limitations. We'll visit a camp in California that plays host to kids with Crohn's and Colitis for two weeks every summer. And we'll hear from leading medical experts at the Mayo Clinic and Cedars Sinai Hospital, on the latest efforts in the diagnosis and treatment of IBD.
