Inflammatory Bowel Disease – Research & Answers

Surgery TechniquesApr 28, 2026

Crohn's Disease Surgery Has Shifted From Last Resort to Strategic Option

Somewhere between one-third and one-half of people with Crohn's disease will need surgery within five to ten years of diagnosis. That's a striking number, and it reframes what surgery actually represents in this disease. It's not a failure of treatment. It's a core part of managing Crohn's, and increasingly, it's being used earlier and more strategically rather than only when everything else has stopped working. The research paints a clear picture: elective, well-timed surgery, especially for limited disease in specific locations, can be an effective alternative or complement to biologic medications. That's a meaningful shift from how surgery was traditionally viewed.

Irritable Bowel SyndromeApr 28, 2026

IBD vs IBS: Same Symptoms, Completely Different Diseases

Roughly one in three people with inflammatory bowel disease in remission still report the cramping, bloating, and unpredictable bowel habits typically associated with irritable bowel syndrome. Their inflammation is gone on scopes and labs, yet the symptoms persist. This overlap is one reason IBD and IBS get so tangled in people's minds, and why getting the distinction right matters more than most realize. IBD (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis) is an immune-mediated inflammatory disease that causes visible, measurable damage to the gut. IBS is a disorder of gut-brain interaction with no detectable inflammation or structural changes. The symptoms can feel identical from the inside. The consequences are not.