Inflammatory bowel disease,

Inflammatory diseases of the intestine are common and distressing. Research in this field is an active area of medicine. Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are common chronic diseases mainly affecting the West, with an especially large incidence in North America and Northern Europe. Treatment, diagnosis and management of patients involves specialists from a wide range of disciplines. During the last decade there have been substantial improvements in the means of assessing patients, along with the development of many new drugs. Despite major developments, the exact aetiology of these conditions still remains unknown. This book offers a summary of the accumulating information available on the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It includes current research on the aetiology of IBD. Contributions are from an international authorship. This book should be of interest to gastroenterologists, endoscopists, radiologists, surgeons and dieticians.