Differences between Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis can be difficult to understand. The two diseases share many symptoms, but are treated very differently medically and surgically. However, there are cases where the diagnosis of one form of IBD over the other is very difficult.

Crohn's disease causes inflammation of the lining of your digestive tract, which can lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea and even malnutrition.
The inflammation caused by Crohn's disease often spreads deep into the layers of affected bowel tissue.

What exactly is Ulcerative Colitis?

Ulcerative colitis causes chronic inflammation of the colon and is characterized by abdominal pain and diarrhea. Ulcerative colitis usually affects only the innermost lining of your large intestine (colon) and rectum. Ulcerative colitis symptoms can vary from person to person, depending on the severity of inflammation and where it occurs. For these reasons, doctors often classify ulcerative colitis according to its location.