Crohn\'s Disease an Overview of the Most

Crohn's Disease

An Overview of the Most Pertinent Facts Relating to Crohn's Disease

Crohn's Disease Affects the Digestive System (Journey with Crohn's, N.d.)

Crohn's disease is a serious condition that afflicts roughly half a million people in North America alone. The disease affects the bowels of a patient, anywhere between the mouth all the way to the anus, and has a wide range of symptoms associated with it. Some of the symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss, skin problems, arthritis, eye inflammation, lethargy, and concentration issues. Although the disease is produced by a bacterial which is introduced to the body through the environment, there are certain risks factors that make people susceptible to the disease. For example, there seems to be a genetic component to the disease and people with a family history of the disease are more susceptible to contracting the condition. Certain lifestyle choices can also be a factor. For instance, smokers are more likely to be susceptible than non-smokers. This pamphlet will provide an overview of some of the most relevant factors associated with Crohn's disease.

Symptoms and Treatments Related to Crohn's Disease

Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Although the inflammation can occur anywhere between the mouth and the anus, it is most commonly found in the first section of the large intestines or the last section in the small intestines. When the inflammation becomes severe, this can lead to lesions or ulcers in the digestive tract. Most of the symptoms that are caused by the disease are in response to the inflammation of the digestive system. Such symptoms can include abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss, skin problems, arthritis, eye inflammation, lethargy, and concentration issues. Furthermore, the disease has also been correlated to emotional distress which can also decrease the quality of life (Mahadev, Young, Selby, & Solomon, 2012).

In more severe cases of Crohn's disease, doctors might treat the lesions themselves through a surgical procedure. As a result, mucosal healing has been a reasonable aim of therapy in Crohn's disease (Scholmerich, 2006). However, in most cases the symptoms associated with Crohn's disease are milder and the symptoms can be treated to improve quality of life without having to conduct any kind of surgical intervention. Medications can be prescribed to help patients cope with much of the pain and intestinal problems that occur with Crohn's in milder cases. Stress management psychotherapy has also been shown to improve the quality of life for patients with Crohn's disease (Boye, et al., 2011).

Smoking has been clearly linked to one of the factors that can make an individual more susceptible to Crohn's disease. However, other factors such as oral contraceptives, refined sugar, perinatal events, childhood infections, microbial agents, and domestic hygiene have been found to be associated with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease but further evaluation is required to confirm the consistency and to define the strength of the association (Koutrooubakis, Manousos, Meuwissen, & Pena, 1996). Other than quitting smoking and screening your family's health history for possible relatives with the disease, there is little that can be done to prevent Crohn's. However, future research based on the association of the Nod2 gene on chromosome 16 holds the promise of catalyzing future genetic and therapeutic advances (Cho, 2001).