What is Crohn’s Disease?

Crohn’s Disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation in your digestive tract, which can lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss, and malnutrition. Even though Crohn’s disease will always affect the digestive tract, it will involve different areas for different people. The inflammation caused by Crohn’s disease can spread deep into the layers of tissue in the digestive tract, and can be both painful and debilitating. This can also cause other serious and even life-threatening complications.

Symptoms

When it comes to Crohn’s disease, the two main areas affected are the colon and a small segment of the small intestine. Although these are the two areas that are the most affected in patients with Crohn’s disease, it can also affect other areas. Signs and symptoms of Crohn’s disease can range from mild to severe, and usually develop over time. People may experience symptoms that will come on suddenly, and others will go through periods where no symptoms are noticeable at all.

Symptoms include:

• Diarrhea
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Abdominal pain and cramping
• Blood in your stool
• Mouth sores
• Reduced appetite and weight loss

People with severe Crohn’s disease may also experience inflammation of the skin, eyes, joints, liver, and bile ducts.

Causes & Risk Factors

While there are no known causes of Crohn’s disease, doctors have found more proof of main factors being hereditary and malfunctioning immune systems. Risk factors include:

• Age: you’re most likely to develop Crohn’s disease when you’re young
• Ethnicity: Even though Crohn’s is more likely to occur in those of eastern European descent, it can occur in any ethnicity.
• Family history: you’re more likely to develop Crohn’s if you have a family member who also has Crohn’s.
• Cigarette smoking: smoking cigarettes is the most controllable risk factor when it comes to preventing Crohn’s disease.
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications: these can include ibuprofen (Advil), naproxen sodium (Aleve), diclofenac sodium (Voltaren) and others. While they don’t directly cause Crohn’s, they can lead to inflammation of the bowel which can make Crohn’s disease worse.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, please give Justin McCarthy, M.D. a call at 806-761-0722 to set up an appointment. You don’t have to keep living with pain associated with Crohn’s disease, we can help you manage and reduce it, so that you can get back to living your life.