Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Description

Inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) is an idiopathic group of disorders characterised by inflammatory changes without a known inciting cause. IBD can affect any part of the intestines and it is classified according to the predominant cellular inflammatory infiltration. Three types have been recognised, they are:

• Lymphocytic - Plasmacytic Enteritis (most common)
• Eosinophilic Enteritis
• Ulcerative colitis (rare disorder found in Boxers)

The underlying cause of IBD is currently unknown. It is speculated to have been caused by an exaggerated or inappropriate response by the immune system to dietary and/or bacterial antigens.

Pathogenesis

• Is idiopathic, but appears to be immune mediated.
  • Possibly food allergy.
    • Change of diet is a potential treatment.
      • Disease is often due to something present in the diet for some time, rather than something suddenly introduced.
  • Hypersensitivity to inhaled or ingested environmental allergens is another possible cause.

• Lymphocytic - plasmacytic enteritis is seen most commonly in the dog.
  • Is the most common inflammatory colonic disease of dogs.
  • Sometimes seen in the cat and horse.
• Affects the small intestine, sometimes quite extensively.
  • Produces chronic diarrhoea with lymphocytic or plasma cell (rather than macrophage) infiltration of the lamina propria.
  • Produces a severe protein losing enteropathy.
• Sometimes eosinophil infiltration is quite marked.
• Has a hereditary basis in the Basenji

References

• Ettinger, S.J. and Feldman, E. C. (2000) Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine Diseases of the Dog and Cat Volume 2 (Fifth Edition) W.B. Saunders Company.
• Hall, E.J, Simpson, J.W. and Williams, D.A. (2005) BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Gastroenterology (2nd Edition) BSAVA
• Nelson, R.W. and Couto, C.G. (2009) Small Animal Internal Medicine (Fourth Edition) Mosby Elsevier.