Crohns Disease Cause Article

Crohn's Disease Introduction

Crohn's disease can be a very complicated disease to diagnose as it is very similar to many other illnesses such as inflammatory bowel disease and ulcerated colitis. The symptoms can also resemble the flu. The symptoms may start in children as young as 12 and up through age 40 and later in some people.

The disease affects the intestine and can be a very debilitating illness. The disease causes inflammation of the small intestine usually at the lower end. The disease can cause severe cramping, nausea and diarrhea. You physician may recommend medication and in extreme cases, surgery.

It affects about 1 in 1,200 people and women are more prone to the disease then men. The symptoms can begin at any age but, usually begins between the ages of 12 and 40. If the symptoms are severe, most likely your physician will recommend surgery.

It can also cause swelling in the bowels and block the passage way. Ulcers can develop deep within the wall of the bowel. Nutrients from digested foods may not be absorbed and can cause anemia, as well as fistulas and ulcers.

The symptoms of the disease are categorized from mild to severe. Mild symptoms of the disease include being able to eat normally to moderate problems which would be fevers, losing weight, pain and diarrhea.

Mild to severe symptoms would be those patients who haven't gotten better with mild symptoms and have been treated with medication. There would be a higher incidence of fevers, extreme weight loss, nausea, and possibly bloody diarrhea.

Severe symptoms would include frequent vomiting, obstructed intestines and ulcers and infections.

If you do have Crohn's disease, the following can make the symptoms and the disease worse - smoking, infections or viruses, stress and anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen.

The disease can be treated with some anti-inflammatory drugs such as Azulfidine, Pentasa and Dipentum. Other useful drugs are Corticosteroids, Entocort and Medrol. There are immune syatem drugs such as Azathioprine that help some people.

Others have done well on antibiotics such as Flagyl and Cipro. Some people benefit from anti-diarrheal medications such as Remicade.

Approximately 50% of people who have the disease require surgery because of serious complications such as abscesses, possible hemorrhaging and obstructions. People who are not responding to medications usually end up requiring surgery.

Some people do not have symptoms for long periods of time and then may suffer a setback. However, the disease and symptoms can come back at any time. Unfortunately, it is not possible to predict when symptoms may return or when a remission is possible.

The disease was named after a physician Burrill Crohn in 1932. He was first to describe the symptoms of patients he was treating.