What is Thickening of the Bowel?

Q.Can you explain what thickening of the bowel is?

A.

Bowel thickening, also called thickening of the colon wall, is a medical term used to describe the swelling, widening, or hardening of the tissue and cells that make up the bowel wall. This condition results from inflammation of the tissues which leads to the narrowing of the bowel.

The tissue of the bowel wall is usually very flexible and thin, which allows it to contract and move in order to place pressure on waste in an attempt to dispel the waste from the body. If the tissue becomes thick or hardens the colon wall is unable to move or contract as freely thus causing a slow down in the waste removal system.

There are many different illnesses, conditions, diseases, and disorders that may lead to bowel wall thickening. Some of these conditions include Crohn's Disease, colon cancer, colitis, and systemic sclerosis. These conditions can lead to colon wall thickening because of the inflammation they produce in the tissue of the bowel.

When any tissue is exposed to infection or irritation inflammation occurs. Inflammation is the term used to describe the swelling of affected tissue. This swelling can lead to permanent damage such as scarring it if is left untreated for long periods of time. In diseases such as Crohn's the entire digestive tract can become inflamed resulting in bouts of diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and bloody stools. If the inflammation that affects the bowels is left untreated the tissue there eventually hardens and becomes thickened with scars once the damage becomes too severe.

While this bowel wall thickening can cause some symptoms, such as pain during bowel movements, bloody stools, constipation, and abdominal pain, most individuals are diagnosed with bowel wall thickening when undergoing an abdominal scan or barium x-ray for the diagnosis of Crohn's disease or Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

If the condition of bowel thickening is caught early enough in its development the damage can sometimes be reversed through the treatment of the main disease and the reduction of inflammation. However, if the colon thickening is advanced and interferes with normal bowel function and the dispelling of waste from the body surgery may be necessary to remove portions of the affected bowel.

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