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Tips for Coping With Crohn's Disease

Crohn's disease is a painful, chronic disorder of the intestines. An autoimmune disease, it occurs when the body's immune system attacks the gastrointestinal tract and causes inflammation, or inflammatory bowel disease. Though Crohn's disease is not as prevalent as many other bowel disorders, like irritable bowel syndrome, according to the National Institutes of Health Digestive Diseases 2002 Statistics 2002, 62 percent of those with Crohn's disease are hospitalized at some point. This disorder affects men and women at the same rate; however, people who smoke develop Crohn's more frequently than nonsmokers.

  1. Quit Smoking

    • One way to cope with the discomfort of Crohn's disease is to eliminate habits that exacerbate the disorder. In 2001, a study by the Gastroenterology and Nutrition Service in France determined that, "Patients with Crohn's disease who stop smoking for more than 1 year have a more benign disease course than if they had never smoked."

    Medication

    • Crohn's disease causes abdominal pain and diarrhea. When starting a course of treatment, doctors typically first try anti-inflammatory drugs. Sulfasalazine, the most commonly used medication, reduces Crohn's symptoms. However, it comes with risks. This medication can cause nausea, vomiting, heartburn and headaches. Corticosteroids, for short-term use, help reduce inflammation. Side effects of these drugs may include insomnia and hyperactivity, or more dangerously, high blood pressure and osteoporosis.

    Reduce Stress and Exercise

    • Though stress is not the cause of Crohn's disease, it can make symptoms worse and even trigger flare ups, reports the Mayo Clinic. Stress can adversely affect the digestive tract, however chronic pain such as that associated with Crohn's disease, causes stress. To combat stress, doctors recommend exercise, deep breathing, medication and even therapy. In 2007, researchers at the University of Western Ontario found that walking for 30 minutes three times a week increased the quality of life for patients suffering from mild Crohn's disease. When these same patients were compared with patients who did not exercise, those in the non-exercising group actually saw their scores decrease on quality-of-life questionnaires.

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