Understanding Crohn’s Disease
Crohn's disease is most common in the small intestine and in the colon. It can affect any part of your gastrointestinal (GI) tract, from the mouth to the anus. Some sections of the GI tract may be involved and other sections may be missed.
Crohn's spectrum of severity is moderate to debilitating. Symptoms vary and may change over time. In extreme cases, the disease can lead to life-threatening flares and complications.
Understanding Crohn’s Disease
Crohn's disease is most common in the small intestine and in the colon. It can affect any part of your gastrointestinal (GI) tract, from the mouth to the anus. Some sections of the GI tract may be involved and other sections may be missed.
Crohn's spectrum of severity is moderate to debilitating. Symptoms vary and may change over time. In extreme cases, the disease can lead to life-threatening flares and complications.
What is Crohn’s Disease?
Crohn's disease is an intestinal inflammatory disease (IBD). It causes the digestive tract to become inflamed, which can lead to stomach pain, extreme diarrhea, tiredness, weight loss and malnutrition. Inflammation caused by Crohn's disease may affect various areas of the digestive tract in various individuals.
Deep into the layers of infected bowel tissue, the inflammation induced by Crohn's disease also spreads. Crohn's disease can be both painful and crippling, and can cause life-threatening complications at times.
While there is no proven cure for Crohn's disease, treatments can minimize the signs and symptoms substantially and even contribute to long-term remission. Many individuals with Crohn's disease are able to work well with medication.
Symptoms of Crohn’s Disease
Crohn's disease symptoms often develop gradually. Some symptoms can also get worse over time. While it is likely, it is unusual for symptoms to develop abruptly and dramatically. The early signs of Crohn's disease can include:
Abdominal cramps
Blood in your stool
Diarrhea
Fatigue
Feeling a need for bowel movements frequently
Feeling as if after a bowel movement, the bowels are not empty
Fever
Loss of appetite
Mouth sores
weight loss
Other signs and symptoms
People with serious Crohn's disease can also experience:
Inflammation in the skin, eyes, and joints
Inflammation of the bile ducts or the liver
Delayed growth in children or sexual development
Causes of Crohn’s Disease
It remains unclear the precise cause of Crohn's disease. Previously, diet and stress were suspected, but now doctors know that these factors can trigger, but do not cause Crohn's disease. However, the following factors may influence whether you get it:
Immune System
Genes
Environment
Certain factors can affect the intensity of your symptoms, according to a study. They include:
If the rectum is involved or not
If you smoke
The amount of time you had the illness
your age
People with Crohn are often more likely to develop intestinal infections caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi. This can impact and cause problems in the severity of symptoms.
The immune system can also be affected by Crohn's disease and its medications, rendering certain forms of infections worse.
Crohn’s Disease Diet
A diet plan that works for one person with Crohn's illness may not work for another. This is because the disease can include various parts of the GI tract in different people.
It's important to know what works best for you. This can be achieved by keeping track of your symptoms by adding or eliminating some foods from your diet. Lifestyle and dietary changes can help reduce the recurrence of symptoms and reduce their severity.
You would need to:
Change your consumption of fiber
Drink water
Find alternative sources of vitamins and minerals;
Limit your consumption of fat
Limit your consumption of milk