Crohn's disease causes inflammation in the small intestine. Crohn's disease usually occurs in the lower part of the small intestine, called the ileum, but it can affect any part of the digestive tract, from the mouth to the anus. The inflammation extends deep into the lining of the affected organ. The inflammation can cause pain and can make the intestines empty frequently, resulting in diarrhoea.

Common Name:     Crohn's Disease
Alternate Name:    Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Cause

Theories about what causes Crohn's disease abound, but none has been proven. The most popular theory is that the body's Immune system reacts to a virus or a bacterium by causing ongoing inflammation in the intestine.

People with Crohn's disease tend to have abnormalities of the immune system, but doctors do not know whether these abnormalities are a cause or result of the disease. Crohn's disease is not caused by emotional distress.

Signs and Symptons

The most common symptoms of Crohn's disease are abdominal pain, often in the lower right area, and diarrhoea. Rectal bleeding, weight loss and fever may also occur. Bleeding may be serious and persistent, leading to anaemia. Children with Crohn's disease may suffer delayed development and stunted growth.

Complications

The most common complication is blockage of the intestine. Blockage occurs because the disease tends to thicken the intestinal wall with swelling and scar tissue, narrowing the passage. Crohn's disease may also cause sores, or ulcers, that tunnel through the affected area into surrounding tissues such as the bladder, vagina, or skin. The areas around the anus and rectum are often involved. The tunnels, called fistulas, are a common complication and often become infected. Sometimes fistulas can be treated with medicine; out in some cases they may require surgery.

Nutritional complications are common in Crohn's disease. Deficiencies of proteins, calories and vitamins are well documented in Crohn's disease. These deficiencies may be caused by inadequate dietary intake, intestinal loss of protein, or poor absorption (malabsorption).

Other complications associated with Crohn's disease include arthritis, skin problems, inflammation in the eyes or mouth, kidney stones, gallstones, or other diseases of the liver and biliary system. Some of these problems resolve during treatment for disease in the digestive system, but some must be treated separately.

Conventional Treatments

Treatment for Crohn's disease depends on the location and severity of disease, complications, and response to previous treatment. The goals of treatment are to control inflammation, correct nutritional deficiencies, and relieve symptoms like abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and rectal bleeding. Treatment may include drugs, nutrition supplements, surgery, or a combination of these options. At this time, treatment can help control the disease, but there is no cure.

Some people have long periods of remission, sometimes years, when they are free of symptoms. However, the disease usually recurs at various times over a person's lifetime. This changing pattern of the disease means one cannot always tell when a treatment has helped. Predicting when a remission may occur or when symptoms will return is not possible.

Someone with Crohn's disease may need medical care for a long time, with regular doctor visits to monitor the condition.

Complementary Treatments

Many people with inflammatory bowel disease consider non-traditional or complementary medicine in addition to prescription medications. They may turn to these alternatives because there is no cure for Crohn's disease.

The various complementary therapies include:

• Vitamin supplements, such as vitamins D and B12.
• Herbs, such as aloe and ginseng.
• Special diets or nutritional supplements, such as parabiotics.
• Massage.
• Stimulation of the feet, hands, and ears to try to affect parts of the body (reflexology).
• Chiropractic therapy.

© Dr Tessa Mohindra

Reproduced with the kind permission of Today's Therapist