Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) encompasses a number of chronic relapsing inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. The two main types of inflammatory bowel disease are ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD).IBD has both intestinal and extraintestinal manifestations. Multiple extraintestinal tissues including bone, skin, lungs, eyes, and kidneys can be affected. Approximately 20-40% of all patients with IBD suffer from extraintestinal manifestations (1-3). The disease process, psychological consequences, complications, and treatment side effects can have a profound influence upon the athlete. For this reason, it is important that the sports medicine physician have an understanding of the disease, its diagnosis, and treatment.
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