Exploring Crohn’s Disease Facts

Crohn’s disease, named after its discoverer, the American gastroenterologist Burrill Bernard Crohn, is a long-term illness that involves bowel inflammation.

Crohn was the first specialist to describe the disease in 1932 in New York Mount Sinai Hospital together with his colleagues. Back then, they published some essential information about the first 18 disease cases that looked alike.

The disease can affect any part of your gastrointestinal tract: from one’s mouth to the rectum. The inflammation of tract parts may lead to ulcers and scars on your insides.

Both adults and children can be diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. It can be of a different degree: from mild to severe. The most typical illness locations are the colon and the small intestine.

Causes

There is not enough data about Crohn’s disease yet. Even though humanity has known about it for almost a century, there are still discussions about the reasons and no treatment that can cure the disease fully.

Among the Crohn’s disease causes most likely are the following:

• Genetics

Approximately in 17% of cases, patients who suffer from Crohn’s disease have blood relatives with the same illness. Also, blood brothers and identical twins often have Crohn’s. The genes connections and Crohn’s disease appearance are in progress, but there are some known facts already.

• Immune Factors

The way organs suffer from Crohn’s disease makes scientists guess that it might be an autoimmune disease. During such diseases, cells ruin themselves. Patients’ test results have shown results that led to this conclusion (antibodies for certain substances and high levels of T cells were discovered).

• Infection Factors

These are not proven yet, but there were some results in infection research performed on lab rats.

Crohn’s Symptoms

Most Crohn’s disease symptoms are similar to other diseases’ effects.

Patients with Crohn’s disease note the following symptoms:

• Diarrhea
• Loss of weight and appetite
• Cramps in their stomach
• Fatigue and fever
• Blood in their stool

And other unpleasant symptoms.

If you have any of these, you’d better see a doctor right away. Even if you do not have Crohn’s disease, such symptoms may mean other conditions or illnesses that require your attention.

Ignorance of these symptoms while having Crohn’s disease will lead to more severe effects like ulcers in the gastrointestinal tract, skin inflammation, shortness of breath, and others.

Crohn’s Disease Facts

Here are some essential facts about Crohn’s disease:

• It is more common in North America and northern Europe
• European race representatives are more affected than Asians or Africans
• Men are more affected than women
• Since 1970, the disease has been developing, and more patients have been diagnosed with Crohn’s than before.

Treatment

There are three major methods to treat Crohn’s disease. While it cannot be fully cured, these three help patients a lot.

• Medication

It includes immunomodulators, antibiotics, and other pills.

• Diet

A diet is essential if one has Crohn’s disease. However, there is no unified diet, and a patient should discuss it with their doctor.

• Surgery

In severe stages, patients can get surgery that will either repair tissues in their gastrointestinal tract or even remove parts of it.