When something is wrong with our health, it usually doesn’t go into full-swing all of a sudden. Our body typically gives us warning signs well in advance of an issue becoming critical.

Colon cancer is an incredibly common type of cancer – but it’s one that often gets little attention from people until they’re diagnosed with it. With difficult-to-detect symptoms and screenings that often don’t begin until later in life, many people can develop colon cancer without even realizing it.

Crohn’s disease affects almost 780,000 Americans. It and ulcerative colitis are known as a group of diseases referred to as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Together, they affect approximately 1.3 percent — a little over three million — of the U.S. adult population. Furthermore, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America estimates the financial burden of IBD to be more than $31 billion per year in the U.S.