About Crohns Disease

Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract. Inflammatory bowel disease's cause swelling of the digestive tract. All areas of the digestive tract are susceptible to Crohn's disease, but the lower part of the small intestine, or ileum, and the colon are affected most often. Crohn's disease is different from Ulcerative Colitis, another inflammatory bowel disease, in that healthy tissue is present between infected areas of tissue in the gastrointestinal tract.

History

• According to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) , Crohn's disease was named after Dr. Burrill B. Crohn who, along with two other physicians, published a paper describing the condition in 1932.

Cause

• An exact cause for Crohn's disease is not known. The CCFA has done research that indicates bacteria or a virus enters the digestive tract and triggers an immune response that is uncontrollable. The uncontrollable immune response causes inflammation that damages the intestine wall and leads to Crohn's disease.

Symptoms

• Symptoms of Crohn's disease include abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, rectal bleeding, arthritis, skin problems and fever. Children who suffer with the condition may have stunted growth and developmental delays. Ulcers and fistula's, or abscesses, are more serious complications sometimes associated with Crohn's disease.

Risk Factors

• Risk factors for Crohn's disease include a family history of the disease, being of Jewish decent, being between the ages of 20 and 30, and living in urban areas. Smoking and the use of the medication Accutane, which treats scarring acne, are also risk factors.

Treatment

• Treatment options for Crohn's disease include anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce swelling and pain, immune suppressing drugs to reduce the immune response and help with inflammation, and antibiotics to treat fistula's and bacteria. Other medications may be used to treat the symptoms associated with Crohn's disease to improve a person's way of life. Surgery is the final option if medication does not work.