Understanding Crohn’s Disease
Published January 31, 2025
The first thing to understand about Crohn’s Disease is that it can be quite challenging. It involves inflammation of the intestinal walls, which can lead to severe damage, sometimes extending to the outer lining. Crohn’s Disease is one of the main types of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD), which cause swelling or inflammation of the intestine. It is able to affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract, from your mouth to your anus. Gaining a better understanding of Crohn’s Disease is essential if you or someone you care about is diagnosed with this condition.
How Crohn’s Disease Affects Your Digestive System
The second thing to understand about Crohn’s disease is that it impacts the digestive system in a way that can be difficult. It is a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract. As the inflammation of the walls of the intestine begin to swell, these areas begin to crack creating tunnels or passageways in the intestinal wall.
It affects all layers of the intestine walls and causes swollen areas, but leaves areas of healthy tissue. This results in unpleasant symptoms not usually seen with other types of IBD, including:
- Diarrhea that is not bloody
- Malnutrition due to part of the digestive tract that has become inflamed and can not absorb nutrients
- You can develop mouth sores when the entire digestive tract is affected.
Additional Symptoms of Crohn’s Disease
You can expect to experience:
Fever- Fatigue
- Cramping
- Blood in the stool
- Weight loss
- Reduced appetite
- Pain or drainage from the anus from inflammation due to a fistula, an inflammation around the anus which may be an active infection or it can include pus, stool, or blood.
Contact Dr. Jonathan Erlich if you are experiencing any of these symptoms.
Causes and Risk Factors of Crohn’s Disease
The exact cause of Crohn’s Disease is unknown, but researchers believe that genetics, environmental factors, and the immune system all play a part.
As for risk factors, smoking is the most important controllable risk factor for developing Crohn’s Disease.
There are other factors that can raise your risk of developing CD, and they include the following:
- Family history like a parent, child, or sibling puts you at a higher risk
- Smoking doubles your risk
- Certain medications like antibiotics, birth control pills, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories like aspirin or ibuprofen
- A high fat diet
Importance of Treatment With a Chronic Disease
Once diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, it is critical that you are continually monitored by GI Solutions to prevent any complications which can become life threatening.
Because this disease has periods of remission with no symptoms, it is easy to become less vigilant about a treatment regimen. There is currently no cure and no single treatment for Crohn’s that works for everyone.
- Usually, the first line of treatment is anti-inflammatory medicines like corticosteroids.
- Next would be immune system suppressors to reduce inflammation.
- GI Solutions may use Biologics, antibiotics, and other medications.
- If these therapies do not relieve the symptoms, surgery may be recommended.
The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation has suggested some foods to help here.
Crohn’s Disease Treatment Plans in Chicago, IL
Living with Crohn’s Disease can be challenging. If you begin to have any of the symptoms and any member of your family has Crohn’s, contact GI Solutions at (773) 631-2728 for an evaluation and diagnosis.
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