Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It causes inflammation of the digestive tract, this can lead to abdominal pain, weight loss, severe diarrhoea, malnutrition and fatigue. Inflammation caused by Crohn's disease can involve different areas of the digestive tract in different people. This inflammation often spreads into the deeper layers of the bowel.

 

Crohn's disease can be debilitating and painful and may lead to life-threatening complications. While there's no known cure for Crohn's disease, therapies can greatly reduce its signs and symptoms and even bring about long-term remission and healing of inflammation. With treatment, many people with Crohn's disease are able to function well.

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What is Ulcerative Colitis ?

 

Ulcerative colitis is another type of chronic condition under IBD. Colitis affects the colon, also known as the large intestine. The severity of symptoms may vary and can include abdominal pain, bowel urgency, diarrhoea, and blood in the stool. The inflammation begins in the rectum and extends up the colon in a continuous manner. . In ulcerative colitis, only the innermost lining of the colon is inflamed and often involves the rectum, but this depends on the location of the disease. No one knows exactly what causes ulcerative colitis and no one can predict how this disease- once it is diagnosed- will affect a person. Some people can go for years without having any symptoms, while others have frequent flare ups.

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How are Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis different?

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Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease share similar symptoms and they are both types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but they are not the same illness and they affect different areas of the GI tract.

 

Crohn's disease

• Can affect any part of the GI tract from the mouth to the anus.

• Can affect the entire thickness of the bowel wall.

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Ulcerative colitis

• Only the colon and rectum (also known as the large intestine) are affected.

• Affects the inner-most lining of the large intestine.

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How can HBOT help treat Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis?

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• Increased oxygen delivery to all body tissues and reduced inflammation

• Better oxygenation of the area around the wounds and fistulas triggers healing response and wound closure

• Reduced pain and intake of pain medications

• Reduced mental and physical stress

• Improving restoration of bowel’s flora

• Improved elimination of toxins and washout of the metabolic products

• Eliminating bacteria and infection as well as increasing the effect of antibiotics

 

Studies looking at HBOT for IBD show that more than 80% of patients with Crohn's disease did see some improvements.  

And almost 50% of patients who had a fistula experienced complete healing and 35% had partial healing.  Furthermore there are studies which have identified the impact of HBOT on tissue damage such as inflammation of mucosa. Clinical studies analysed in this study have identified that HBOT reflects its therapeutic effect with Crohn's and Colitis by controlling inflammation, reducing oxidation stress, improving the process of cleaning damaged cells and recruiting the cells involved in repair; thereby improving the immunity response system. Overall, hyperbaric treatment can be considered as an effective adjuvant approach for treating IBD. 

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