A person lying on a couch suffering from chronic inflammation (pain and swelling) in their digestive tract.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Doctor examining child's stomach in examination room.

Need Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) care for a child?

You may feel like your body is working against you, no matter how many things you try.

Having inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is more than the need for urgent bathroom trips. It’s stomach pain that derails your entire day. It’s eating plain foods to keep from upsetting your stomach, only to feel nauseous from stress instead. It’s fearing what comes next.

At Cleveland Clinic, we’re here to ease those fears with compassionate IBD care from the moment you walk in the door. Our healthcare providers will treat and help you manage your inflammatory bowel disease so you can enjoy your best life. We’ll involve you in every step of the diagnostic and treatment process, making decisions together that fit with your needs.

Why Choose Cleveland Clinic for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Care?

Industry leaders:

Cleveland Clinic is one of the few medical centers in the country that provides seamless care for people of all ages with IBD. We’re international leaders in IBD research and education and have excellent patient outcomes. We’ll help you feel better faster so you can be in control of your IBD throughout your life.

Comprehensive treatment

We look out for all aspects of your physical and emotional health, in addition to managing your IBD and staying ahead of any complications. Our goal is to give you the very best care and keep you engaging with family and friends, at home, at work and in school. Meet our team.

Convenient care:

Our team-based approach makes it easy for you to see several specialists in one visit. You’ll also have quick access to other Cleveland Clinic providers if needed.

Virtual visits:

Getting to in-person medical appointments can be hectic some days. We get that. That’s why we offer virtual visits. You won’t have to travel back and forth to our office. Instead you can meet with your provider from the comfort of home.

National recognition:

Cleveland Clinic is a trusted healthcare leader. We're recognized in the U.S. and throughout the world for our expertise and care.

IBD Conditions We Treat at Cleveland Clinic

You might think of IBD as one condition you have. But IBD actually refers to a group of illnesses that cause chronic inflammation (pain and swelling) in your digestive tract. We treat all inflammatory bowel-related diseases, including:

Crohn’s disease.
Ulcerative colitis.
Microscopic colitis.
Immune checkpoint inhibitor-related colitis.
Drug-induced colitis.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Diagnosis at Cleveland Clinic

When you come to us for IBD diagnosis and treatment, all of your healthcare providers work together to make sure you get the most complete, evidence-based care possible. Depending on your needs, you may see a gastroenterologist (digestive tract specialist), colorectal surgeon and other skilled providers.

Part of the diagnosis process is getting a good look at what’s going on. You can expect us to do advanced endoscopy and colonoscopy procedures to get a closer look at your digestive tract. We’ll also do blood tests and collect stool (poop) samples for testing. Our highly trained pathologists (tissue specialists) and radiologists (imaging specialists) will help figure out your specific diagnosis.

As a team, we’ll pinpoint the cause of your symptoms and the severity of the disease. You and your healthcare providers will review test results together, discuss treatment options and decide on the best treatment plan. You can usually start getting treatment soon after your first visit.

Providers Who Treat Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Locations

Our healthcare providers see patients at convenient locations throughout Northeast Ohio, Florida and London.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Treatment at Cleveland Clinic

People with IBD often need lifelong care to manage the condition. We’re here with you for every twist and turn. From the very beginning, we’ll help care for all aspects of your health, with treatment options ranging from preventive vaccines to advanced IBD treatment.

Medical treatment

First, we may prescribe medications to reduce inflammation in your digestive tract before considering surgery. We have experience with all medical treatment options approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Our team will work with you to find an option that works. And if you’ve tried many medications without success, we offer clinical trials for new IBD therapies.

IBD diet and nutrition services

Diet and nutrition play a big role in treating your IBD symptoms. We have specialized care teams to help you with nutrition and gut rehabilitation. You’ll get expert evaluations and personalized nutrition plans from our team to help relieve and prevent IBD symptoms.

Minimally invasive surgery

Sometimes IBD leads to complications that must be treated with surgery. We’ll work closely with providers in colorectal surgery and our experts in ileal pouch surgery to use the least invasive procedure possible.

With an ileal pouch, you can have normal bowel movements through your digestive tract, so you won’t need a colostomy bag. Our surgeons are world-renowned for their expertise in advanced IBD procedures like J-pouch surgery and pelvic pouch repair.

IBD mental health care

We understand that IBD affects more than just your physical health. Pain that doesn’t quit and unpredictable IBD symptoms can take a toll on your emotional well-being, too. And the resulting stress can make your symptoms worse. We have many mental health providers who can help you cope with the challenges of living with IBD.

Taking the Next Step

Inflammatory bowel disease can feel like an ever-present interruption in your life. It may cause you to think twice about making plans, or worry before the day has even started. But there are ways to manage this life-long condition. At Cleveland Clinic, our team of experts is ready to help you find a treatment option that fits into your life and helps you do what you want — without IBD getting in the way.