Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) include Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s disease. Patients with IBD suffer from inflammation of the intestine wall, which causes pain, diarrhea, bleeding and in some patients can lead to severe anal problems such as recurrent boils or abscesses. Patients are treated with drugs which suppress the immune system to alleviate symptoms. Suppression of the immune system may lead to infection with viruses such as the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is believed to cause certain cancers including anal cancer. This study will look how common anal HPV infection is in patients with and without IBD, and whether HPV infection is linked to immune suppressing drugs.
