Final answer:
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, can cause extraintestinal manifestations such as skin rashes, eye inflammation, arthritis, and liver conditions, in addition to the primary intestinal symptoms.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) refers to conditions where the immune system erroneously attacks the intestines, leading to symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal pain. The two main types of IBD are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. While both conditions primarily affect the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, they can also cause various extraintestinal manifestations, which are symptoms that occur outside of the intestines. Common areas affected include the skin, eyes, joints, and liver.
Crohn's disease may affect any part of the GI tract from the mouth to the anus, with potential symptoms including a characteristic rash, known as Crohn's rash, which presents with pustules and crusts, possibly related to bowel-associated dermatosis-arthritis syndrome (BADAS). Other extraintestinal manifestations can include eye inflammation, such as uveitis, arthritis, and liver conditions like primary sclerosing cholangitis.
Conversely, ulcerative colitis predominantly affects the colon and rectum. Its extraintestinal symptoms might include skin lesions, arthritis, and eye inflammation but are less likely to involve the liver. Both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis patients may experience complications such as an increased risk of colon cancer and should be consequently monitored more extensively than the general populace.