For many people living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), understanding what remission actually means can be confusing. If your symptoms improve, does that mean your IBD is under control? And if you're in remission, is the disease gone for good?

In Part 2 of our conversation with IBD expert Dr. Jessica Allegretti, we explore what remission means in IBD and why feeling better is only one part of the picture.

We discuss:

• Clinical remission versus endoscopic remission

• What mucosal healing means

• The treat-to-target approach in IBD care

• Why modern treatment goals focus on long-term disease control

• How controlling inflammation may help reduce the risk of future complications

Understanding both how you feel and what may be happening inside your body can help you have more informed conversations with your healthcare team and take an active role in managing your IBD.

Subscribe to Gastro Girl for more expert-led conversations designed to help you navigate digestive health with confidence.

This educational initiative is sponsored by Merck.

Why does the immune system cause inflammation in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis? And what do the gut microbiome, intestinal lining, and genetics have to do with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)?

In this episode of the Gastro Girl Podcast, host Jacqueline Gaulin talks with gastroenterologist and IBD expert Dr. Colleen Kelly about the important connection between the gut and immune system in IBD.

Dr. Kelly explains how Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are immune-mediated diseases, why the immune system becomes involved in intestinal inflammation, and how interactions among the immune system, gut lining, genetics, and the trillions of microorganisms that make up the gut microbiome may contribute to IBD.

You'll learn:

• How the immune system and digestive tract normally work together

• What happens to the immune response in IBD

• Why inflammation develops in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis

• How the intestinal barrier, or gut lining, fits into the picture

• What scientists understand about the gut microbiome and IBD

• Why IBD involves much more than digestive symptoms

• How understanding the biology of IBD can help you have more informed conversations with your healthcare team

Whether you've recently been diagnosed with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, are living with IBD, or are supporting someone who is, this patient-focused conversation provides an accessible foundation for understanding what is happening inside the body and why it matters for managing IBD.

This educational initiative is sponsored by Merck.