There is no doubt that stomach problems can be normal as well as a sign of some serious disease. One such disease is Crohn’s. Crohn’s disease can enter the body with abdominal pain, diarrhea or other symptoms mentioned in the article. Therefore, it is necessary that necessary information about this disease should be kept. In this article of Myhealthonly, know what can be the causes, symptoms and risk factors of Crohn’s disease. This article has also told about the way to avoid Crohn’s disease. Also, information on how to treat Crohn’s disease is given.
Before taking the rest of the information about this problem, it is important to know what Crohn’s disease is.
What Is Crohn’s Disease?
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Crohn’s is an inflammatory bowel disease associated with the intestine, which is counted in the category of chronic disease. It affects the digestive tract of a person with inflammation and irritation. The disease usually affects the early part of the large intestine and the small intestine. However, Crohn’s disease can affect any part of a person’s digestive tract (from the mouth to the anus). The disease progresses slowly over time. However, its symptoms become mild for some time in between.
Learn more about the types of Crohn’s disease further in the article.
Types of Crohn’s Disease
The types of Crohn’s disease can be divided into five parts –
- Ileocolitis: This is a common type of Crohn’s. In this, the colon (part of the intestine) and the ileum (last part of the small intestine) of the sufferer are affected.
- Jejunoileitis: This usually affects the jejunum, the middle part of the small intestine.
- Ileitis: This type of Crohn’s disease affects the ileum, the last part of the small intestine. This causes inflammation in the ileum.
- Gastroduodenal Crohn’s Disease: This type of Crohn’s disease affects the stomach and duodenal (early part of the small intestine).
- Crohns (Granulomatous) Colitis: This type of Crohn’s disease affects the colon, which is the main part of the large intestine.
In the next part of the article, you will know what can be the causes of Crohn’s disease.
Causes of Crohn’s Disease
It is difficult to say anything clearly about the cause of Crohn’s disease. So far its exact reason has not been ascertained. The reasons the doctor believes may include the following:
- Autoimmune Reaction: In this problem, the body’s immune system starts damaging healthy cells. Bacteria in the digestive tract are believed to be the cause of this autoimmune reaction, which can lead to symptoms of Crohn’s disease, such as inflammatory bowel disease.
- Genetic: It is believed that Crohn’s disease can also be genetic. If someone’s parents or siblings have had Crohn’s disease, then that person can also get it.
- Other causes: Crohn’s disease can also include smoking, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as birth control pills or aspirin), and a high-fat diet.
After knowing the causes of Crohn’s disease, let us now tell you what can be the symptoms of Crohn’s disease –
Symptoms of Crohn’s Disease
The symptoms of Crohn’s disease are not the same in everyone. It also depends on which part of the digestive tract the disease is in and how severe it is. There are some symptoms that can be common, such as:
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal pain and cramping
- Weight loss
Apart from this, the symptoms of Crohn’s disease can also be something else, such as:
- Blood loss (anemia)
- Redness or pain of the eyes
- Tiredness
- Fever
- Joint pain or stiffness
- Nausea or loss of appetite
In this part of the article, know what can be the risk factors of Crohn’s disease.
Risk Factors for Crohn’s Disease
As we mentioned above, Crohn’s is an inflammatory bowel disease and it can have many risk factors. Some of the risk factors for Crohn’s disease can be as follows:
- Smoking.
- Surgery for the appendix (a small tube attached to the large intestine).
- Birth control pills or antibiotics.
- Diet rich in sugar and fat.
- Any type of infection.
- Those who have previously had a problem of gastroenteritis (intestinal infection).
Along with knowing the risk factors, causes and symptoms of Crohn’s disease, it is also important to know how Crohn’s disease can be treated. Below is the information related to it.
How to Treat Crohn’s Disease
Talking about the treatment of Crohn’s disease, its treatment does not work the same for everyone. These treatments are mainly used to reduce its symptoms. These treatments can be done in three ways:
- With the help of medicines
- Relaxing the bowels
- Surgery
With the help of medicines :
Crohn’s disease can be treated by reducing its symptoms with the help of the following medicines:
- Aminosalicylates: These medications contain a specific type of acid (5-ASA) that may help reduce inflammation. It can also have some side effects, such as:
- Diarrhea
- Headache
- Heartburn
- Nausea and vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Corticosteroids: These medications help reduce autoimmune reactions and inflammation, which may help reduce the symptoms of Crohn’s disease. It can also have side effects, such as:
- Pimples
- High blood pressure
- High blood sugar
- Loss of bone density
- Risk of infection
- Mood swing
- Gaining weight
- Immunomodulators: These medications reduce the autoimmune response, which may help reduce inflammation. It may take a few weeks to three months for these to work properly. These medicines are given to those on whom no other medicine works. Some of its side effects can be as follows:
- Decreased white blood cells, which can increase the risk of infection.
- Tiredness
- Vomiting and nausea
- Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)
By Relaxing The Bowels :
In addition to medicines, Crohn’s disease can also be treated by giving bowel rest if the symptoms are more severe. In this, the doctor can advise to consume some special beverages. This can be done like this –
- Consumption of nutrient rich beverages.
- Delivery of nutrient-rich beverages through a tube to the stomach or small intestine.
- Transporting certain nutrients to the body through the blood.
Surgery :
Crohn’s disease can also be treated through surgery. This surgery can help improve symptoms and reduce complications of the disease. During the treatment of Crohn’s disease, doctors recommend surgery under certain circumstances, which may be the following:
- Causes of fistula (an unnatural joint between two parts of the body)
- Life threatening bleeding
- Intestinal stricture
- Fatal side effects of medicines
- When symptoms do not get better with medicines.
It is also important to take care of diet along with treatment. Therefore, after the treatment of Crohn’s disease, know which foods can be included in the diet during Crohn’s disease.
Diet for Crohn’s Disease
According to the type of Crohn’s disease, only the doctor will be able to give accurate information about what to eat in the diet. But during this time taking care of some things related to diet can be beneficial.
- Don’t drink soda beverages.
- Avoid eating high fiber foods like popcorn, nuts etc.
- Consume more fluids.
- Don’t eat a lot at once.
- Depending on the problem, the doctor may recommend a high-calorie, lactose-free, low-fat, low-fiber, or low-salt diet.
Apart from these things, it is also important to keep in mind that which foods are advised to be avoided:
The above mentioned foods are rich in high fiber/lactose/fat/gluten which can aggravate the symptoms of Crohn’s disease like diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, gas etc. For this reason, it is advised not to include them in the diet.
In the last part of the article, know about the way to avoid Crohn’s disease.
Best Ways to Prevent Crohn’s Disease
We have already mentioned in the article that Crohn’s is a type of inflammatory bowel disease. In such a situation, tips to avoid inflammatory bowel disease can work as a way to avoid Crohn’s disease. These tips are explained below:
- Don’t smoke
- Get necessary vaccinations done. This can reduce the risk of infection.
- Exercise and do some physical activity everyday.
- Take a balanced diet.
- Avoid anemia
- Avoid medications that can cause Crohn’s disease, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines.
We hope that through the article you have got the causes, symptoms and other important information related to Crohn’s disease. You must have also understood very well that how Crohn’s disease can affect the whole body along with the intestine. Therefore, on seeing the symptoms of Crohn’s disease, contact the doctor immediately and get treated. Also, if you have any query related to Crohn’s disease treatment or other related topics, you can take help from us in the comment box given below.
