Teenagers With Crohn's Disease

According to emedicinehealth.com, approximately 100,000 teens and pre-teens develop Crohn's disease. This disease occurs in teens when the digestive system becomes red and inflamed. This condition is quite embarrassing for many teens.

Causes

• Crohn's disease is caused in teenagers by an unknown event that triggers the immune system to become inflamed. Teens who have a family history of Crohn's disease are more likely to develop the disease.

Effects

• Teens who have Crohn's disease will have diarrhea, rectal bleeding, stomach pain and poor growth.

Identification

• To identify whether a teen suffers from Crohn's disease, a doctor will perform a medical examination and ask about symptoms the teen is having. If Crohn's disease is suspected, the doctor will perform an endoscopy to look for inflammation and bleeding of the teen's internal organs.

Treatments

• Medications such as aminosalicylates and corticosteroids relieve inflammation and reduce symptoms of Crohn's disease in teens.

Considerations

• There is no cure for Crohn's disease. However, teens may be symptom free for months or years at a time before the effects of Crohn's disease reoccur.