Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an ongoing or chronic health problem that causes inflammation and swelling in the digestive tract. The irritation causes bleeding sores called ulcers to form along the digestive tract. This in turn can cause crampy, abdominal pain and severe bloody diarrhea.

What is Ulcerative Colitis?

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic condition that affects the large intestines, particularly the colon. It is classified as one of the two inflammatory bowel diseases along with Crohn’s disease.

Genetics of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) in Pregnancy

FODMAP Research

Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Colorectal Cancer

Ulcerative Colitis Causes

Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs)

Dysbiosis and the Microbiome

Mesentery: a new organ?

Latest Inflammatory Bowel Disease News and Research

Soft robotic enteroscope offers a new approach to small intestine examination

An innovative robotic device inspired by snake movement could someday help gastroenterologists diagnose and treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other disorders of the small intestine and remove small polyps while reducing trauma to the organ's delicate tissues.

28 Oct 2026

COMPASS pathway helps regulatory T cells prevent intestinal inflammation

Trillions of bacteria live in the human gut without triggering an immune response. Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have now discovered a gene-regulatory pathway that helps maintain this delicate balance.

28 Oct 2026

UK study identifies ways to improve bowel cancer detection in IBD patients

The first UK-wide analysis of bowel screening for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has identified opportunities to improve the early detection of cancer.

27 Oct 2026

Antibody patterns may predict inflammatory bowel disease years before diagnosis

A large-scale study, presented today at UEG Week 2026, has identified distinct antibody patterns up to 10 years before the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), potentially opening new avenues for earlier risk detection and providing insights into future disease course.

19 Oct 2026

Scientists discover water-triggered reactions that may explain microplastic harm

Researchers found that six common types of microplastics spontaneously generate reactive oxygen species at their interfaces with water, with more hydrophobic plastics showing greater chemical activity. Laboratory experiments also linked these surface properties to biomolecular adsorption, protein aggregation, and mouse red blood cell damage, although the implications for human health remain uncertain.

15 Oct 2026

Nearly one in three women with autoimmune diseases waited at least four years for a diagnosis, survey finds

An international study of 6,607 adults with autoimmune diseases found that female participants reported longer diagnostic delays, more clinician visits, and higher rates of perceived psychiatric and psychosomatic misdiagnoses than males. The findings suggest sex-related differences in diagnostic experiences, although the researchers cautioned that patient-reported misdiagnoses were not independently verified and the causes of these disparities remain uncertain.

15 Oct 2026

$5.8 million study explores gut-brain inflammation in people with HIV

Oregon Health & Science University researchers have secured a $5.8 million, five-year federal award to investigate whether damage to the gastrointestinal tract contributes to neuroinflammation in people living with HIV - raising the potential for new treatments to preserve brain function in people with HIV and older adults.

13 Oct 2026

Review highlights EP4 receptor as target for inflammatory diseases

A review published in Genes & Diseases highlights the prostaglandin E2 receptor subtype 4 (EP4) as an important regulator of inflammation and a promising therapeutic target for a wide range of inflammatory and inflammation-related diseases.

12 Oct 2026

New iron deficiency guidelines raise key blood test cutoffs

ASH 2026 guidelines redefine iron deficiency diagnosis with higher ferritin thresholds, aiming for better detection and management across diverse populations.

9 Oct 2026

Gut inflammation may explain food sensitivities in IBD patients

A new study, to be published in Gastroenterology, finds that gut inflammation can change the way gut bacteria break down food - possibly triggering immune reactions to foods that were previously fine to eat.

7 Oct 2026

Cannabis products associated with sustained improvements in patients with inflammatory arthritis

The sustained use of medical cannabis preparations provides safe and effective relief for patients with inflammatory arthritis, according to observational data published in the journal Clinical Medicine Insights: Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Disorders.

6 Oct 2026

New study investigates PFAS exposure and future inflammatory bowel disease

Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called "forever chemicals," may play a role in the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) years before symptoms appear, according to a new five-year study supported by a $3.3 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 grant to researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

5 Oct 2026

Synthetic protein targets TLR4 membrane region to reduce inflammation

To sense their environment and respond accordingly, cells enlist membrane proteins as communication hubs, receiving molecular messages from outside and triggering responses inside.

1 Oct 2026

Specialized immune cells bridge the nervous and immune systems

A collaborative team led by Professor Jie Zhou at Tianjin Medical University School of Basic Medicine and Professor Qiang Liu at Tianjin Medical University General Hospital published a comprehensive review in Volume 2 of the journal Immunity & Inflammation on September 8, 2026.

25 Sep 2026

Dietary changes can prevent Hirschsprung disease symptoms

A multi-institutional study led by researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) discovered for the first time that dietary interventions might prevent inflammatory symptoms associated with Hirschsprung disease, a bowel motility disorder.

23 Sep 2026

Garvan research reveals hidden inflammation behind high colon cancer risk

New research from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research has revealed for the first time that two closely related bowel diseases, currently treated in the same way, are fundamentally different.

22 Sep 2026

New funding supports LMU research on pediatric inflammatory bowel disease

The non-profit Boehringer Ingelheim Stiftung supports LMU clinician-scientist Daniel Kotlarz through its Rise up! program.

10 Sep 2026

Gut infection leaves long-lasting immune ‘memories’ at the brain’s borders in mice

In mice, intestinal infections reshaped dural CD4+ T-cell populations and seeded the brain’s outer meningeal border with antigen-specific memory cells that persisted for months and mounted rapid recall responses to bloodborne antigens. Oral priming was associated with reduced Salmonella spread to the brain and modest cross-protection in an engineered shared-antigen Candida model, although the researchers could not definitively prove that dural CD4+ T cells alone caused the protection.

9 Sep 2026

Gut bacterial metabolite linked to inflammation in liver disease

Researchers have identified a link between specific activities in gut bacteria and the liver disease PSC.

4 Sep 2026

Gut bacterial molecule discovered to drive serious bile duct disease

Researchers at the University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital have, together with international collaborators, discovered that a small molecule made exclusively by gut bacteria can actively drive disease in the bile ducts and worsen primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a serious liver and bile duct disease.

4 Sep 2026