Inflammatory bowel disease: overview and psychosomatics

Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are chronic inflammatory bowel disorders of unknown etiology and unpredictable course, usually causing diarrhea and/or abdominal pain and sometimes associated with fever, weight loss, or extraintestinal manifestations. Psychological factors may relate to the onset and course of disease and certainly have important implications for the treatment of these chronic diarrheal illnesses. We review the literature on psychosomatic aspects of inflammatory bowel disease and discuss current thinking regarding presentation and management.