Crohn's Disease

• 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.

Cause?

• The cause of Crohn's disease is unknown.
• Some scientists suspect that infection by certain bacteria, such as strains of mycobacterium, may be the cause of Crohn's disease. To date, however, there has been no convincing evidence that the disease is caused by infection. Crohn's disease is not contagious.
• Although diet may affect the symptoms in patients with Crohn's disease, it is unlikely that diet is responsible for the disease.
• Activation of the immune system in the intestines appears to be important in IBD.
  

Treatment:

• The symptoms and severity of Crohn's disease vary among patients. Patients with mild or no symptoms may not need treatment. Patients whose disease is in remission (where symptoms are absent) also may not need treatment.
• There is no medication that can cure Crohn's disease. Patients with Crohn's disease typically will experience periods of relapse (worsening of inflammation) followed by periods of remission (reduced inflammation) lasting months to years. During relapses, symptoms of abdominal pain, diarrhea, and rectal bleeding worsen. During remissions, these symptoms improve. Remissions usually occur because of treatment with medications or surgery, but occasionally they occur spontaneously, that is, without any treatment.
• Since there is no cure for Crohn's disease, the goals of treatment are to 1) induce remissions, 2) maintain remissions, 3) minimize side effects of treatment, and 4) improve the quality of life. Treatment of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis with medications is similar though not always identical.
• Medications for treating Crohn's disease include:
  • anti-inflammatory agents such as 5-ASA compounds
  • corticosteroids
  • topical antibiotics
  • immuno-modulators
  • other medications.

Also see: IBD