Medications Used to Treat Crohn’s Disease
Medications Used to Treat Crohn’s Disease
Crohn's disease, also known as ileitis or regional enteritis, is a chronic illness. In Crohn's, the intestine, bowel, or other part of the digestive tract becomes inflamed and ulcerated -- marked with sores. Along with ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease is part of a group of diseases known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Crohn's disease usually affects the lower part of the small intestine, which is called the ileum. The disease, though, can occur in any part of the gastrointestinal system. Thus, the disorder may affect the large or small intestine, the stomach, the esophagus, or even the mouth. Crohn's can occur at any age. It is most commonly diagnosed in people who are between the ages of 15 and 30.
Feeling Good About Your Body When You Have Crohn's
Crohn's disease can take a toll on your body image, confidence, and comfort. But it doesn't have to.“It is possible to have a good body image with Crohn’s disease," says Sara Ringer, "but it’s something you have to continually put effort into.”Ringer, who's in her early 30s, has gotten medical care for her Crohn's symptoms since she was a baby, although she wasn't diagnosed until she was 14.All that care focused on her disease. But Ringer, and anyone else with Crohn's, is far more than...
Read the Feeling Good About Your Body When You Have Crohn's article > >
The symptoms of Crohn's disease depend on where in the bowel the disease occurs. They also depend on its severity. Symptoms can include:
Other symptoms can develop, depending on complications related to the disease. For example, a person with a fistula, an abnormal passageway, in the rectal area may have pain and discharge around the rectum. Other complications from Crohn's disease include:
The cause of Crohn's disease is not known. It is likely that there is a genetic component. About 20% of people with Crohn's disease have a blood relative with a form of IBD. People of Jewish heritage have a greater risk of developing Crohn's.
Crohn's disease may involve the immune system. The immune system of a person with Crohn's may treat bacteria, food, and other substances as foreign invaders, leading to chronic inflammation from the accumulation of white blood cells in the lining of the intestines and resulting in ulcerations and injury to the tissues.
Crohn's disease usually affects the lower part of the small intestine, which is called the ileum. The disease, though, can occur in any part of the gastrointestinal system. Thus, the disorder may affect the large or small intestine, the stomach, the esophagus, or even the mouth. Crohn's can occur at any age. It is most commonly diagnosed in people who are between the ages of 15 and 30.
Recommended Related to Crohn's Disease
Feeling Good About Your Body When You Have Crohn's
Crohn's disease can take a toll on your body image, confidence, and comfort. But it doesn't have to.“It is possible to have a good body image with Crohn’s disease," says Sara Ringer, "but it’s something you have to continually put effort into.”Ringer, who's in her early 30s, has gotten medical care for her Crohn's symptoms since she was a baby, although she wasn't diagnosed until she was 14.All that care focused on her disease. But Ringer, and anyone else with Crohn's, is far more than...
Read the Feeling Good About Your Body When You Have Crohn's article > >
What are the symptoms of Crohn's disease?
The symptoms of Crohn's disease depend on where in the bowel the disease occurs. They also depend on its severity. Symptoms can include:
- abdominal pain and tenderness (often on the lower right side of the abdomen)
- chronic diarrhea
- delayed development and stunted growth (in children)
- feeling of a mass or fullness in the lower right abdomen
- fever
- rectal bleeding
- weight loss
Other symptoms can develop, depending on complications related to the disease. For example, a person with a fistula, an abnormal passageway, in the rectal area may have pain and discharge around the rectum. Other complications from Crohn's disease include:
- arthritis
- gallstones
- inflammation of the eyes and mouth
- kidney stones
- liver disease
- skin rashes or ulcers
What causes Crohn's disease?
The cause of Crohn's disease is not known. It is likely that there is a genetic component. About 20% of people with Crohn's disease have a blood relative with a form of IBD. People of Jewish heritage have a greater risk of developing Crohn's.
Crohn's disease may involve the immune system. The immune system of a person with Crohn's may treat bacteria, food, and other substances as foreign invaders, leading to chronic inflammation from the accumulation of white blood cells in the lining of the intestines and resulting in ulcerations and injury to the tissues.
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