What Is Crohns Disease?

What is Crohns disease? Crohn’s disease is also known as Crohn-Leśniowski Disease, regional enteritis, and granulomatous colitis. In this article you will learn all about this disease, from its definition to its treatments.

Crohn’s disease begins in the ileum section of the small intestine, but can affect the entire gastrointestinal tract from your mouth to your anus. It is an IBD, or Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and is serious and chronic. It causes the wall of the intestines to become thicker and the lining of the intestine to become inflamed. 

Symptoms include:

• Abdominal pain and cramps
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Fever
• Blood in the stool
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Arthritis
• Skin disorders
• Fatigue

Serious complications can be ulcers, malnutrition, colon cancer, obstructions, bleeding, perforations, and the development of fistulas, which are abnormal connections between one section of the intestine and another. 

Crohn’s disease can come on suddenly or be slow to develop. Diarrhea is caused when the cells secrete water and salt, due to the inflammation. Since the colon can’t absorb all of it, the result is diarrhea. Pain comes from the scar tissue which formed from the ulceration of the intestinal walls. The scar tissue interferes with the normal movement of waste. Blood in the stool is a result of actual bleeding of the intestine or the inflamed tissue.     

Causes and Risk Factors  of Crohns Disease

We do not yet know what causes Crohn’s disease. If Crohn’s disease is caused by a virus or bacterium, then the immune system would play a role. Some think that the disease may come from an abnormal response of the immune system to the bacteria present in the colon. Heredity is many times a contributing factor in a disease or gives a person a predisposition to getting it. Diet and stress do not cause Crohn’s disease but definitely aggravate it.

One of the risk factors is age, as most people develop Crohn’s disease between the ages of 20 and 30. If you have someone in your family with Crohn’s disease, then you have a much higher risk of getting it, as high as 1 in 5. Smoking cigarettes is a risk factor in many diseases, including Crohn’s. If you live in an urban area, industrialized country, or a colder climate, your risk goes up. Diet probably plays a part in this risk factor. Accutane can cause IBD, including Crohn’s disease. These medications (NSAIDs) cause symptoms like those of Crohn’s disease and will make the disease worse:

• Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, etc.)
• Naproxen (Aleve)
• Piroxicam (Feldene)
• Diclofenac (Cataflam, Voltaren)   

Tests and Treatments for Crohns Disease

After ruling out diverticulitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and colon cancer, your doctor will order one or more of these tests:

• Blood tests: These will test for anemia and certain antibodies.   
• Barium Enema: In this test you receive an enema of a contrast medium with barium and an X-ray is taken.  
• Colonoscopy: This will spot the inflamed cells. The doctor can also do a biopsy.  
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy: This examines the last section of your colon.
• Small bowel imaging: This is similar to a barium enema; except you swallow the contrast medium and the test may be an X-ray, MRI, or CT.  
• Capsule endoscopy: This is a capsule that you swallow which has a camera in it and passes through your digestive system. 

With treatment, it is possible to go into remission or at least, relieve symptoms of Crohn’s disease. Some treatment is geared towards reducing inflammation, so anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed. Other drugs suppress the immune system which in turn, reduces inflammation. Antibiotics may be prescribed to help heal the fistulas and abcesses. 

Other medications include anti-diarrhea medicine, laxatives, pain relievers, iron supplements, vitamins, and calcium. In some cases, surgery is required to remove damaged sections of the colon, remove scar tissue, or close fistulas.