What to do when experiencing a flare of IBD: Factsheet 3

Introduction

A flare is the reappearance or worsening of symptoms experienced with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. This resource provides information on dietary changes which may help manage and relieve symptoms during a flare of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It is important to note that the symptoms experienced vary from person to person, and may change over time.

Symptoms of a flare may include:

• Frequent and/or urgent bowel movements

• Diarrhoea which may contain blood and/or mucous

• Abdominal pain

• Nausea/vomiting

• Fatigue

  Abdominal pain and fever can lead to a loss of appetite and weight loss and the resulting poor nutrition can delay recovery and healing. Diarrhoea and rectal bleeding can also deprive the body of fluids, nutrients and electrolytes. Therefore, a well- balanced diet is necessary to prevent nutritional deficiencies and maintain a healthy weight. Focusing on meeting nutritional requirements rather than dietary restrictions is sensible during a flare.

FactSheet_3_IBD_flare_PAGES.pdf