What is Crohn's Disease??

[Im_Liverpool_Til_I_Die!!]

My best friend is yet to be diagnosed with the disease but doctors have said there pretty certain she has it.Firstly, what I want to know, is what is it, can it be helped etc??And secondly, could it be something else thats causing this problem, shes lost a lot of weight recently, not by choice bcoz she was only a UK size 8 to begin with...She does look anorexic, but I like to think I know her well enough to know that she isn't...I think the problem may be her poor diet of chocolate, fried chicken, sweets, sausage rolls, coke etc, and yet shes still losing weight, may seem unfair, but its worrying that its not known what wrong with her...I dunno if age would be a cause for concern in diagnosis, but shes only 18.Any suggesions/help would be greatThanks in advance

[se_tiger08]

Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestines. It primarily causes ulcerations (breaks in the lining) of the small and large intestines, but can affect the digestive system anywhere from the mouth to the anus. It is named after the physician who described the disease in 1932. It also is called granulomatous enteritis or colitis, regional enteritis, ileitis, or terminal ileitis.Crohn's disease is related closely to another chronic inflammatory condition that involves only the colon called ulcerative colitis. Together, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are frequently referred to as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease have no medical cure. Once the diseases begin, they tend to fluctuate between periods of inactivity (remission) and activity (relapse). They affect approximately 500,000 to two million people in the United States. Men and women are equally affected. IBD most commonly begins during adolescence and early adulthood, but it also can begin during childhood and later in life.Crohn's disease tends to be more common in relatives of patients with Crohn's disease. It also is more common among relatives of patients with ulcerative colitis.How does Crohn's disease affect the intestines?In the early stages, Crohn's disease causes small, scattered, shallow, crater–like areas (erosions) on the inner surface of the bowel. These erosions are called aphthous ulcers. With time, the erosions become deeper and larger, ultimately becoming true ulcers (which are deeper than erosions) and causing scarring and stiffness of the bowel. As the disease progresses, the bowel becomes increasingly narrowed, and ultimately can become obstructed. Deep ulcers can puncture holes in the wall of the bowel, and bacteria from within the bowel can spread to infect adjacent organs and the surrounding abdominal cavity.When Crohn's disease narrows the small intestine to the point of obstruction, the flow of the contents through the intestine ceases. Sometimes, the obstruction can be caused suddenly by poorly–digestible fruit or vegetables that plug the already–narrowed segment of the intestine. When the intestine is obstructed, digesting food, fluid and gas from the stomach and the small intestine cannot pass into the colon. The symptoms of small intestinal obstruction then appear, including severe abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal distention. Obstruction of the small intestine is much more likely since the small intestine is much narrower than the colon to begin with.Deep ulcers can puncture holes in the walls of the small intestine and the colon, and create a tunnel between the intestine and adjacent organs. If the ulcer tunnel reaches an adjacent empty space inside the abdominal cavity, a collection of infected pus (an abdominal abscess) is formed. Patients with abdominal abscesses can develop tender abdominal masses, high fevers, and abdominal pain.When the ulcer tunnels into an adjacent organ, a channel (fistula) is formed. The formation of a fistula between the intestine and the bladder (enteric–vesicular fistula) can cause frequent urinary tract infections and the passage of gas and feces during urination. When a fistula develops between the intestine and the skin (enteric–cutaneous fistula), pus and mucous emerge from a small painful opening on the skin of the abdomen. The development of a fistula between the colon and the vagina (colonic–vaginal fistula) causes gas and feces to emerge through the vagina. The presence of a fistula from the intestines to the anus (anal fistula) leads to a discharge of mucous and pus from the fistula's opening around the anus.

[Mr Fawlty]

Crohn's disease (also known as regional enteritis) is a chronic, episodic, inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract characterized by transmural inflammation (affecting the entire wall of the involved bowel) and skip lesions (areas of inflammation with areas of normal lining between). Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus; as a result, the symptoms of Crohn's disease vary between affected individuals. The main gastrointestinal symptoms are abdominal pain, diarrhea (which may be bloody) or constipation, and weight loss. Crohn's disease can also cause complications outside of the gastrointestinal tract such as skin rashes, arthritis, and inflammation of the eye.[1]The disease was independently described in 1904 by Polish surgeon Antoni Lesniowski and in 1932 by American gastroenterologist Burrill Bernard Crohn, for whom the disease was eponymized. Dr. Crohn, along with two colleagues, described a series of patients with inflammation of the terminal ileum, the area most commonly affected by the illness.[2] Crohn's disease affects between 400,000 and 600,000 people in North America.[3] Prevalence estimates for Northern Europe have ranged from 27–48 per 100,000.[4] Crohn's disease often develops in the teenage years, though individuals in their earlier years are also at increased risk.[1][5] There is a genetic component to susceptibility with highest relative risk in siblings, affecting males and females equally.Although the cause of Crohn's disease is not known, it is believed to be an autoimmune disease that is genetically linked. The condition occurs when the immune system contributes to damage of the gastrointestinal tract by causing inflammation.TreatmentMedicines or steroids, to reduce inflammation in your gut, are commonly used to treat Crohn's disease when it first develops. They are usually taken in oral tablet form, or as an enema (a tablet inserted into your anus), if the rectum or lower part of the colon, are affected.SteroidsIf the symptoms of Crohn's disease are severe, a course of steroids (corticosteroids) may be recommended for a few weeks. In most cases (70%), the symptoms improve within four weeks of starting steroids. Once the symptoms improve, the dose is gradually reduced, and then stopped. As steroids can cause side effects, they are not usually used as a long-term treatment.5-aminosalicylate medicines5-aminosalicylate medicines can be used as an alternative to steroids, to treat mild to moderate symptoms of Crohn's disease. They include sulfasalazine, mesalazine, of salazine, and balsalazide. However, they do not always work and you may need to switch to steroids if your symptoms are severe.Antibiotics and immunosuppressantsSome people with Crohn's disease do not respond well to steroids or 5-aminosalicylate medicines. In such cases, a specialist may advise that you use antibiotics to combat infection, immunosuppressive medicines, such as methotrexate, antibody therapy (infliximab), or a combination of these treatments.DietIf you have particularly bad symptoms, which cannot be controlled using medicines, you may be given a strict diet to follow. In most cases, after sticking to the diet for a few weeks, the symptoms improve and a normal diet can be gradually resumed. The reasons why this works are not fully understood, but it is thought that some foods, such as dairy products, may trigger the symptoms of Crohn's disease and that resting the gut may help.SurgeryAs a last resort, if other treatments do not work, surgery may be required to remove the affected part of your gut. The affected part is removed and the two ends are sewn together. Surgery may also be required to treat complications such as obstructions, abscesses, or damage to your gut.Other measuresAnti-diarrhoeal medicines can be taken to firm up your stools, and painkillers may be needed at times when your symptoms are particularly bad. If your symptoms are really severe, you may need to go to hospital to receive fluid intravenously (by a drip).You may be prescribed iron tablets if you develop anaemia. Also, if your gut is not absorbing food properly, you may need to take vitamin supplements. If you smoke, giving up will often decrease the frequency of your symptomsThe futureThe development of new medications for Crohn's disease is ongoing, and it is likely that there will be a number of new treatment options available, for the condition, over the next decade.

[MarkEverest]

Have a look at http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/crohns/It's the most informative page I can find about the disease.

[sharen05chris]

My daughter has this and it is not fun , first of all they will have to do a colonostopy to be sure that this is what she has , there are many ways to treat it but there is no cure, my daughter was taking asacal and prenisone and iron and a few other scrips as well it can be very painful the lower and upper intestines get ulcers and they get worse with no treatment , there diet will have to go to bland foods for a while till they get it under control than they can moderately eat the little things they like , my daughter is now on remicade it is a new treatment and it works very well with crohns and ulcrative colitis , they give what is called a infusion ' a iv and it takes two to four hours to administer depending on how well there system takes it . as they get use to the treatment every two weeks it will be giving further and further apart until there treatments are eight weeks apart . if you need more info go to www.remicade.com they will explain how this treatment works . you can also go to www.crohns disease .com as well i pray your friend gets better hope this info helps.

[Healer]

You have now received very good answers as to what the disease is and how it effects some people. Should your friend have the diagnosis confirmed...one treatment not mentioned previously...but can be very effective is acupuncture by a registered practitioner that has been trained in the Chinese approach....she should have at least six sessions..by then she would have a good idea if it was working for her. All the very best to you and your friend.