Potential Cures for Crohn's

According to the Mayo Clinic, Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). People who suffer from IBD may experience abdominal pain, acute diarrhea and possibly malnutrition. No medical cure currently exists for Crohn's disease. However, there are treatments available that can reduce its symptoms significantly.

Causes

• The exact cause of Crohn's disease is not known. The National Institutes of Health says researchers think several factors may contribute to Chron's disease. They include heredity and a malfunctioning immune system that fails to respond properly to bacteria that exists in the intestine.

Risk Factors

• The Mayo Clinic says although Crohn's disease can develop at any time during life, young people in their 20s are most often diagnosed. White people have a greater chance of getting the disease than other races and ethnic groups.

  You are at a higher risk if a first-degree relative (parent, sibling or child) has the disease.

  People who smoke and those who live in an urban or industrialized country also are more likely to develop Crohn's disease.

Diagnosis

• The NIH says a complete physical exam and a series of tests including blood samples may be necessary to diagnose Crohn's disease. Blood tests may reveal a high white blood cell count, which indicates an inflammation somewhere in the body.

  Your doctor may conduct a visual exam of the colon by performing either a sigmoidoscopy (examination of the lower 20 inches of the colon) or a colonoscopy (rectum and colon).

  During both of these exams your doctor inserts a long, bendable lighted tube that's connected to a computer and monitor into the anus.

Treatment

• Treating Crohn's disease typically involves medications and sometimes surgery. The goal of medication is to diminish the inflammation that sets off your symptoms. In the best case scenario this may result in pain relief and long-term remission.

  Anti-inflammatory drugs such as sulfasalazine (azulfidine) and mesalamine (Asacol, Rowasa) are often the first treatment of choice for inflammatory bowel disease.

  Doctors generally prescribe corticosteroids in cases of moderate to severe IBD when other treatments have failed.

Surgery

• The NIH says up to 75 percent of patients with Crohn's disease eventually will require surgery because medications are no longer managing symptoms.

  A surgical procedure that eliminates part of the intestine can help sufferers but it is not a cure for Crohn's disease.

  Unfortunately, it may be necessary for people with Crohn's disease to undergo more than one operation.

  The NIH says inflammation is inclined to come back close to where the ailing intestine was removed.