Crohn’s Disease: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment

July 22, 2022 | by Yashaswi Pathakamuri | Posted in Diseases

Crohn's Disease: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment

Crohn’s Disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation and ulceration in the digestive tract. It can cause serious complications and may lead to surgery, hospitalization, or even death. It may be treated with medications, surgery, or a combination of both. Crohn’s disease is also known as regional enteritis.

It is one of the most common types of autoimmune diseases and can be caused by an abnormal response to food in genetically predisposed people. It can be difficult to diagnose. It can cause pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, weight loss, fatigue and anemia.

What is Crohn’s disease?

Crohn’s Disease is a chronic condition that requires long-term treatment. The treatment includes Crohn’s disease therapy. This type of therapy includes medications and surgeries to reduce inflammation and ulceration in the digestive tract, as well as to improve symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss, and fatigue.

It can cause inflammation in any part of the digestive tract from mouth to anus, but most commonly it affects the lower part of the small intestine (the ileum) and/or colon (the large intestine).

Crohn’s Disease is an autoimmune disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract. It has three main stages:

  • Active inflammation
  • Remission and
  • Relapse

The first two stages are typically treated with medications while the third stage is treated with surgery or radiation therapy.

Signs and Symptoms

Crohn’s disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation in the digestive tract. The signs and symptoms of Crohn’s disease vary depending on the severity of the illness. Symptoms typically worsen over time.

Signs and Symptoms:

Crohn’s disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation in the digestive tract. It can affect any part of the intestine, but most commonly affects the ileum, colon, and small intestine.

Signs and Symptoms of People with severe Crohn’s Disease:

  • Abdominal pain
  • Inflammation of skin, eyes and joints
  • Inflammation of the liver or bile ducts
  • Kidney stones
  • Iron deficiency anemia
  • Delayed growth or sexual development, in children
  • Joints of the spine or hips

Causes and Risk factors

Crohn’s disease is caused by a combination of factors such as genetics and environmental factors. Some of the risk factors associated with Crohn’s are smoking, stress, infection with bacteria or viruses that can lead to inflammation in the gut, and family history of Crohn’s disease. The risk for developing Crohn’s disease increases with age. The cause of Crohn’s Disease is unknown and it affects people differently with different symptoms.

Some of the most common causes and risk factors for Crohn’s Disease are:

Genetics: Crohn’s Disease is caused by genetics. This can be passed from a parent to a child, or from one sibling to another.

Environment: The environment that people live in can contribute to the development of Crohn’s Disease as well. The conditions that people may have faced in their childhood and adulthood can have an effect on the

Smoking: Smoking can cause inflammation in the digestive tract and make it harder for the body to fight off infections. The risk of developing Crohn’s Disease by smoking increases as you get older and as you smoke more cigarettes per day.

Stress: Stress may contribute to Crohn’s Disease because it causes an increase in intestinal permeability which can lead to inflammation and ulceration in the bowel lining.

Age: Crohn’s Disease is a chronic and potentially life-threatening disease that affects the digestive system. It can be found in people of all ages, but it is most commonly seen in people under the age of 30.

The risk factors for Crohn’s Disease by age are:

  • 12 years old: greater than 10% chance of developing Crohn’s Disease in the next 10 years.
  • 15 years old: greater than 5% chance of developing Crohn’s Disease in the next 10 years.
  • 18 years old: greater than 3% chance of developing Crohn’s Disease in the next 10 years.

Diet: Diet can be a risk factor for Crohn’s Disease because it can lead to poor nutrition and malnutrition which may increase the risk of this condition.

Crohn’s Disease Risk Factors by Diet:

  • Dairy products: Dairy products can increase the risk of developing Crohn’s Disease by increasing intestinal inflammation and making it harder for the body to absorb nutrients from food.
  • Fats: Fats can increase the risk of developing Crohn’s Disease by increasing intestinal inflammation and making it harder for the body to absorb nutrients from food.
  • Sugar: Sugar can increase the risk of developing Crohn’s Disease by increasing intestinal inflammation and making it harder for the body to absorb nutrients from food.
  • Alcohol: Alcohol can increase the risk of developing Crohn’s Disease by increasing intestinal inflammation and making it harder for the body to absorb nutrients from food.
  • Citrus fruits and juices: Citrus fruits and juices can increase the risk of developing Crohn’s Disease by increasing intestinal inflammation, making it harder for the body to absorb nutrients from food

Other factors include being overweight, having a history of ulcers or vomiting blood, and having a personal or family history of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Diagnosis

Crohn’s disease is a chronic condition that causes inflammation in the digestive system. It affects different parts of the digestive tract from mouth to anus. The first signs of Crohn’s disease are usually abdominal pain and diarrhea.

The diagnosis process for Crohn’s Disease may include an endoscopy, colonoscopy, ileocolonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy

A doctor will typically diagnose Crohn’s by looking at your symptoms and performing a physical examination. They may also order tests such as x-rays or CT scans to rule out other conditions that could be causing your symptoms.

Treatment

Crohn’s disease treatment can vary depending on the severity of the condition. The most common treatment includes medication and surgery. The standard treatment for Crohn’s disease includes a combination of medications, including corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, and anti-inflammatory drugs that are meant to reduce inflammation or stop it from spreading.

Medications

Some medications for Crohn’s disease are oral or injected corticosteroids, mesalamine, and azathioprine. Some people also use immunosuppressive agents such as thiopurines or corticosteroids to reduce inflammation.

The medications available for Crohn’s disease are dependent on the severity of the symptoms and how well patients respond to treatment.

Medications for Crohn’s Disease are designed to treat a variety of symptoms such as pain relief, diarrhea control and nutritional support.

Surgery

Crohn’s Disease causes inflammation in the intestine which leads to ulcers, strictures, fistulas and abscesses. Crohn’s disease usually responds well to treatment but sometimes surgery may be needed to remove damaged areas of the intestine or rectum.

A surgical procedure called ileostomy may be performed if a Crohn’s patient has an ileal resection or perianal fistula that cannot be treated with medications only. This surgery involves creating an opening in the abdomen through which waste from the intestines will pass to a small pouch outside the body called an ileostomy.

Antibiotics and steroids can be used as treatments for Crohn’s disease in order to control symptoms, reduce inflammation, and prevent possible complications such as obstruction of the bowel or development of fistulas. A gluten-free diet may also help with the symptoms of Crohn ‘s disease.

Diet

Crohn’s disease is a chronic condition that can be treated with diet and medications. There are certain foods that should be avoided during the early stages of the disease because they may cause more inflammation or discomfort.

These foods include:

  • Alcohol
  • Citrus fruits
  • Chocolate
  • Coffee
  • Nitrites
  • Nuts
  • Refined sugar

After the diet and medications are in place, you may want to try reintroducing these foods. It may take a few weeks of careful observation to adjust your body back to having them in your diet.

Complications

The most common complications of Crohn’s disease are ileitis, colitis, and fistulas.

Crohn’s disease can cause complications including

  • Ileitis (inflammation of the small intestine)
  • Colitis (inflammation of the large intestine)
  • Fistulas (abnormal connections between organs)
  • Intestinal strictures (narrowing)

Other Complications can cause lifelong problems such as:

  • Nutritional deficiencies
  • Fecal incontinence
  • Painful sexual intercourse.

Complications can also include recurring inflammation, ulcers on the bowel wall, and reduced blood flow to the lower intestinal tract.

Summary

Crohn’s disease is a chronic disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract. It can be debilitating and painful, but it can also be managed with diet and medication.

Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that can cause severe pain and discomfort. It has been estimated that there are about 700,000 people with Crohn’s in the United States.

Crohn’s disease can increase a person’s risk of developing other diseases, such as cancer, liver problems, biliary tract complications and genitourinary tract infections. The life expectancy for someone with Crohn’s is slightly lower than that of the general population.

A person with Crohn’s might have to have surgery and some more procedures over time.

«
»

  • Recent Posts

  • Categories

  • Archives

  • Tags

    bestime Black fungus coronavirus covid19 detox drinks diagnosis and treatment Early Morning Empty Stomach Guava-benefits Healthy BreakfastFood healthy diet healthydrink immunityboosters Protein proteinpowders recipes Uterine fibroid uterus weightloss workout