Crohn's Disease: Do You Have It

by: AlexMorgan
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Crohn's disease is relatively common, with approximately 1 in every 1500 people suffering from the condition, although it occurs slightly more often in women and in smokers. The disease causes inflammation of the lining of the walls of the digestive tract and can occur anywhere along its length; but is most often found in patches of the small and large intestine. Symptoms vary for person to person, both in severity and frequency . Some people have very mild symptoms and the disease can go undiagnosed for years. Others will have very severe, frequent attacks and will require hospitalization.

Inflammation of the digestive tract causes the area to become red and painfully swollen. Pain varies according to the site and severity of the flare up, but is often reported in the lower right side of the abdomen. Ulceration of the wall lining can also occur which causes the digestive tract to become further narrowed and will lead to blood in the feces. Eventually the digestive tract can become completely obstructed.

For most suffers, diarrhea is a common symptom and this can often contain pus, mucus or blood. People say that they experience a strong feeling of needing to go to the toilet but when they get there nothing comes. Unsurprisingly, during a flare up sufferers can be really very ill with weight loss, fever and tiredness. Their health can be further affected if heavy bleeding has led to anemia, or if food cannot be absorbed properly leading to vitamin and mineral deficiency.

For patients who have had some of the above symptoms of diarrhea, stomach pains and weight loss for more than three to four weeks, Crohn's disease is suspected. Blood samples, stool specimens, endoscopic examinations of the small and large intestines, and barium enema and barium meal studies can often confirm or disprove the diagnosis of Crohn's disease. Biopsies are often taken from the affected areas.

Once diagnosed, the treatment prescribed depends on the extent and severity of symptoms. Medication can often calm the inflammation, keep the symptoms down, and reduce the likelihood of relapse. If symptoms are severe, a course of steroids may be given for a few weeks. In about 70% of cases, the symptoms improve within four weeks of starting steroids. However, as steroids can cause side effects, they are not generally used as a long-term treatment. Another group or medicines known as 5-aminosalicylate medicines can be used as an alternative to steroids for mild to moderate symptoms. These drugs can be given as oral tablets or as rectal suppositories. Other medications are prescribed as needed; antibiotics for additional infection, vitamin supplements and iron for nutritional deficiencies, diarrhea treatments if this is a major problem.

For a large majority of people with the illness, there may be times when medication alone is not enough. Sometimes a strict diet is required for a short time to rest the digestive system. Often people will require hospitalization and even surgery to remove a very affected part, or a blockage or abscess in some part of the gut.

At present there is no cure for Crohn's disease and no known way to prevent it, but the symptoms can be treated and the periods of remission can be stretched to last several years. Most people are able to lead normal lives. The research and development of new medications for Crohn's disease is continuing, and it seems likely that there will be a number of new treatments available in the near future.

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