Topic Overview

Rare complications of inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease) include:

• Problems with blood vessels, such as blood clots (thromboemboli) or inflammation of an artery. These problems are rare but can cause serious complications or even death.
• Scarring of the pancreas.
• Inflammation of the membrane surrounding the heart (pericarditis).
• Inflammation of the blood vessels in the lungs.
• Chronic inflammation of the large airway tubes (bronchi) in the lungs.
• Uncommon forms of anemia related to poor absorption of nutrients from the intestines.