Crohn’s disease – Treatment, Prevention, Signs and Causes

Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from the mouth to the anus. Symptoms usually include abdominal pain, diarrhea (if the inflammation is severe, it may be bloody), fever, flatulence, and weight loss.

Other complications beyond the gastrointestinal tract include anemia, rash, arthritis, eye inflammation, and fatigue. The rash can be caused by an infection, such as pyoderma gangrenosum or erythema nodosa. Intestinal obstruction may be a complication of chronic inflammation, and people with this disease have an increased risk of colon cancer and small bowel cancer.

Crohn’s disease symptoms

Crohn’s disease symptoms are usually not noticed. Over time, some symptoms will get worse. Although symptoms rarely appear suddenly. Early symptoms may include:

Loose stool
Cramps in lower abdominal
Stool with blood
Fever
Tiredness
Loss of appetite
Loss of weight
Intestines are not emptying after defecation
It feels like you have frequent bowel movements

Sometimes these symptoms are combined with others’ problems such as food poisoning, indigestion or allergies. Such co-occurrence of symptoms can confuse people and result in misdiagnosis. If people feel any of these symptoms persistently, they should see a doctor.

As the disease progresses, symptoms may get worse. Other intolerable symptoms are:

Perianal fistula causes drainage and pain around the anus
Ulcers may appear anywhere in a body
Joint and skin ulcers
Problem in breathing (1,2)

Causes of Crohn’s disease:

It is not clear what causes Crohn’s disease. However, the following factors can affect the chance of developing Crohn’s disease:

Immune system
Environment
Genes
20% of Crohn’s diseases patients’ parents, children or siblings also suffer have this disease.

According to a research, given elements can increase the risk of severe symptoms:

smoking
age
whether your rectum is affected
how long have you been sick with

People who have Crohn’s disease are also more prone to intestinal infections caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites, which can affect the symptoms and cause complications. Immune system is also infected by the Crohn’s disease and its treatment also.

Fungal infections are mostly common in Crohn’s disease and lungs and intestine also can be infected. It is important to correctly diagnose these infections and treat them with antifungal drugs to avoid further complications.

Crohn’s disease treatment

Crohn’s disease is not curable, but it can be controlled. There are many treatment options that can reduce the symptoms of Crohn’s disease.

Medicines

There are many types of medicines that can be used to treat Crohn’s disease. Regular use of anti-inflammatory and antidiarrheal drugs can help. Other options encompass biologics which is used by immune system of a body against a disease.

The medicine or combination you need depends on symptoms, medical history, severity of the disease, and a response to therapy.

Anti-inflammatory drugs

The 2 main anti-inflammatory drugs used by doctors to treat Crohn’s disease are 5-aminosalicylate and oral corticosteroids. Doctor’s firstly use anti inflammatory drugs to treat a Crohn’s disease.

These medicines are used to cure the symptoms of Crohn’s disease. For severe symptoms corticosteroids are mainly use.

Immunomodulatory

An active immune system can cause inflammation, which can lead to the Crohn’s disease symptoms. Immunomodulatory are the drugs that affect the immune system, which can reduce inflammation and slow your immune system’s response.

Antibiotics

Doctors say that antibiotics can prevent from the symptoms and possible causes of Crohn’s disease. Antibiotics can heal fistulas and cure drainage.

Biological Therapy

If person is having a severe Crohn’s disease, doctor might try one of several biological treatments to treat the complication and inflammation that cause a disease. Biological agents can block certain proteins that cause infection.

Surgical treatment

If less invasive treatment and changing lifestyle do not reduce symptoms, surgery might be important. Ultimately, according to CCFA data, approximately 75% of Crohn’s disease patients at some time in their lives will have to undergo surgical procedure.

Some surgeries for Crohn’s disease involve removing damaged parts of the gastrointestinal tract and reconnecting healthy parts. There are also more procedures in repairing of damaged tissue, scar tissue treatment, or treatment of deep infections.

Diet

A meal does not cause Crohn’s disease, but it can worsen the condition.

After Crohn’s diagnosis, most of the doctors recommend an appointment with a (RD) registered dietitian. RD can help people to reduce symptoms by giving them a proper diet plan. Initially, person can keep dairy products, but only those which are recommended by their doctor.

Registered dietitian will help people to create a diet plan as per their condition and symptoms. The changes in food can help people in taking more healthy food and prevent them from severe condition.

Crohn’s disease diet

A meal that is suitable for people with Crohn’s disease might not be suitable for others because Crohn’s disease affects multiple areas of the gastrointestinal tract of different people.

It is necessary to find out which method is better for a person. This can be only done by adding or removing some meals to understand symptoms. Change in style of life and diet can help decrease the recurrence and severity of symptoms.

Adjustment of fiber intake

Many people demand a diet rich in fiber and protein. Furthermore, the extra leftovers present in fiber-rich foods (such as vegetables and fruits) can affect gastrointestinal function. If so, people have to choose a low-residue diet in daily meal.

Limit fat intake

Crohn’s disease affects the body’s potential for absorb fats and for break down. This extra fat is transferred from the small to the large intestine, causing diarrhea.

Limit intake of dairy products

The consumption of dairy products can cause stomach upset, cramps in lower abdomen and loose stool in many people.

Water intake is important

Crohn’s disease affects the body’s potential to take water from the gastrointestinal tract. This can lead to loss of water. If a person has diarrhea or bleeding, the possibility of dehydration is particularly high. (2)