The month of May is just days away and World IBD Day is near us. The Crohn’s Disease awareness day or the World IBD Day is celebrated on 19 May every year where people from all over the world unite to fight against the inflammatory bowel diseases.
About 26 to 199 cases of Crohn’s disease is prevalent around the globe per 100,000 population according to the data provided by the Center for Disease Control. In United States, about 1-1.3 million people suffer from Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative colitis)
What is Crohn’s Disease?
Crohn’s Disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) that causes severe inflammation of digestive tract, that can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract (from mouth to anus). It results in symptoms like abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, fatigue, malnutrition and weight loss.
The complications of Crohn’s disease varies as per the severity of the disease. The disease ranges from mild to life-threatening complications like anemia, arthritis and other infections. The inflammation can even spread into the deep layers of affected bowel tissue leading to severe pain and debilitation.
Symptoms of Crohn’s Disease
Crohn’s disease is not limited to a particular part of the GI tract as it can affect any part; from mouth to anus. However, the most common areas affected by the disease is the colon and the small intestine. Some of the peculiar symptoms of Crohn’s disease in general include:
- Bloody Diarrhea (if severe)
- Fever
- Weakness
- Abdominal pain and cramping
- Mouth sores
- Weight Loss
- Lack of appetite
- Pain around the anus due to inflammation
Under severe complications, the symptoms might also include:
- Inflammation of liver
- Inflammation of bile ducts
- Arthritis
- Skin rashes
- Inflammation of eyes
- Delayed growth or sexual development in children
Factor Causing Crohn’s Disease
Experts and researchers have reported Crohn’s disease as an immune-mediated disorder caused as the result of an overactive immune response that causes the intestines to become inflamed and raw chronically. There are, however, other factors that can cause the disease which includes:
- Environmental Factors like a bacterial or viral infection can trigger abnormal immune response.
- Hereditary factors can make someone who has inherited the genes more susceptible to the disease.
Treatment:
Chron’s disease is a chronic form of IBD, hence, there’s no cure for this disease. Also, there is no one method of treatment for the disease and hence the treatment varies according to the severity of the disease. Some of the common treatment methods include:
- Immune system suppressors: Drugs that reduce /suppresses the overactive immune system is effective to reduce the inflammation. Some of the drugs that your doctor will advise include: Azathioprine and mercaptopurine. Also, drugs like TNF inhibitors Infliximab (Remicade), adalimumab (Humira) and certolizumab pegol (Cimzia) is also effective. Other drugs include Methotrexate, Natalizumab, Ustekinumab (Stelara) and so on.
- Anti-inflammatory drugs: AID like Corticosteroids and Oral 5- aminosalicylates are the first step in the treatment of IBD.
- Other medications include anti-diarrheal supplements like psyllium powder or methylcellulose and pain relievers like acetaminophen and ibuprofen.
- Iron supplements, vitamin B-12 shots, calcium and vitamin D supplements and so on.
Dietary Treatment:
Your doctor may recommend a special diet given via a feeding tube (enteral nutrition) or nutrients injected into a vein (parenteral nutrition) to treat your Crohn’s disease. This can improve your overall nutrition and allow the bowel to rest. Bowel rest can reduce inflammation in the short term.
Surgical treatment:
Surgical treatment is necessary under the conditions if the drug therapy and other lifestyle changes don’t relieve the signs and symptoms. The surgery involves the removal of damaged portion of your digestive tract, close fistulas, and abscess drainage. The best approach is to follow surgery with medication to minimize the risk of recurrence.
