Brian Austin Green opens up about invisible illness that left him ‘bedridden’

Brian Austin Green has been a bit absent from his social media accounts lately, and he just explained why.

In a new video, the actor said he "disappeared from Instagram for a while" and explained that he was dealing with some health issues.

"I had ulcerative colitis for about six, six and a half weeks, which wasn't very fun," the 48-year-old said.

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation and ulcers in the lining of the large intestine. People with ulcerative colitis usually experience periods of heightened symptoms followed by periods of remission, with few to no symptoms, according to Cleveland Clinic. It's considered one of the "invisible illnesses" because strangers can't see your symptoms.

In the his Instagram video, the "90210" star lamented that his ulcerative colitis flare-up was "horrible timing," as his girlfriend Sharna Burgess is pregnant, and he wanted to be taking care of her instead of the other way around.

"Sharna was amazing. Six, seven months pregnant, taking care of my three young kids (with ex-wife Megan Fox) because I was pretty bedridden for a while," he said. "Taking care of me, not complaining, being amazing."

Green, who announced Burgess’ pregnancy in February, thanked his girlfriend for taking such good care of him in his time of need.

“I am super thankful to have someone like her in my life,” he said.

The actor also shared a loving caption on his Instagram post: “Again, I’m a lucky man. @sharnaburgess I love you ❤️.”

Now that he’s recovered from his ulcerative colitis flare-up, Green is eager to get back to work.

“I’m back now and I’m feeling good, thank goodness. It was a terrible experience,” he said.

What is ulcerative colitis?

Ulcerative colitis is a "chronic inflammatory bowel disease in which abnormal reactions of the immune system cause inflammation and ulcers on the inner lining of your large intestine," according to the National Institutes of Health.

The condition can develop at any point of your life, but it's most common in people between the ages of 15 and 30. Symptoms vary but often include "diarrhea, passing blood with your stool, and abdominal pain," per NIH.

Treatment typically includes medicines to reduce inflammation and induce remission.