What is Crohns Disease?
Many people want to know...what is Crohns Disease?It is one of the inflammatory bowel diseases (the others include ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome). It is a chronic disease for which there is no cure at present.
With Crohn's Disease, teen or child or adult, it doesn't matter, they all go through many highs and lows depending on whether they are having a flare up or are in remission. The flare-ups, too, can have different severities. From minor to a full blown flare-up.
What is Crohn's Disease....what are the symptoms?
Crohns Disease symptoms include stomach pain (usually in the lower right area), diarrhea and weight loss, fever, rectal bleeding, fatigue and anemia, arthritis, and skin problems. The number of symptoms and the intensity of the symptoms varies from patient to patient.
No one knows the cause of Crohn's Disease. It does seem to have a genetic link. Many times, a person with Crohns has relatives who have the disease. There are also current theories that describe it as a reaction of the immune system to a virus or bacteria in the intestines.
Also, what the patient eats doesn’t cause Crohns Disease, but like stress, it can affect how the patient feels. If you've been newly diagnosed, keep a journal to see if you can figure out what foods cause you the most problems.
It is also important to note that Crohns Disease is not caused by stress. But stress does affect the symptoms of the disease and the disease, in turn, causes the patient a lot of anxiety. Learning ways to reduce stress will help a person deal with this disease.
What is Crohns Disease...what are the complications & affected areas?
* Inflammation - The condition can cause the intestines and other areas of the digestive tract to become inflamed. Prescription medications of varying strengths as well as natural treatments such as fish oil can be used to fight inflammation.
* Obstructions - The small intestines can become so inflamed that obstructions occur. That is dangerous because it could cause the intestines to rupture and that can kill you. So, many times surgery is required to remove the obstruction by taking out part of the small intestine (this is what happened to me back in 1985). This surgery does not eliminate the disease. It is not uncommon for people with Crohns Disease to have more than one operation.
* Abdominal Pain - Even without an obstruction, patients experience pain usually in the lower right side.
* Diarrhea - One of the main symptoms of Crohn's Disease. It causes a loss of nutrients.
* Ulcers form in parts of the intestines and some of these ulcers can form a tunnel that joins one part of the intestines to another part and can even joins the intestines to an organ or the skin.
* Fistulas - A tunnel like formation that joins two loops of the intestines and/or a loop of the intestine and an organ of the body. Two drugs used in the treatment of fistulas are Imuran and Remicade