Crohn’s Disease: Causes, Detection And Symptoms

When we go to the doctor for any ailment that we have, and they inform us that we suffer from a disease of which we had never heard the name, it is normal for us to be alarmed, and more if they notify us that we have Crohn’s, certain questions arise, what is this disease? How is it treated? Will it be fatal? And what should I do? Do not worry, here we will explain everything to you, the purpose of this information is to answer your questions, so that you manage this disease, with the best attitude.

It is a disease that affects the intestines , called inflammatory bowel disease, affecting the entire digestive system, starting in the mouth and ending in the anus; people who suffer from it adjust their lives to the disease, getting used to a new rhythm of life. Too many people can suffer from this disease, keep reading so that you stay informed with everything related to this disease.

The disease is not easy to treat, and even more so if we came with not so favorable eating habits; You will have to inform yourself as much as possible, so that you can control your disease and lead a full life, and if it is not your case, you will help those who suffer from it, over time you will learn everything you need to know.

What do we call Crohn’s disease?

We call Crohn’s disease a chronic inflammatory bowel condition that damages the lining of the digestive tract; it incurs not only in its operation, but in any part of the digestive system, starting in the mouth to the rectum, causing a greater effect in the lower part of the small intestine or in the colon, it can affect several times throughout your life .

In some patients the symptoms go into remission, that is, they have elongated lapses for years that do not present the symptoms, it is not possible to know with certainty when will be the moment when it can cause a decline with an increase in symptoms.

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Origins of Crohn’s disease

It is named after Crohn, in homage to Dr. Burrill B. Crihn , who together with his colleagues and colleagues, who investigated and above all published information about the development of this disease, describing all its facets in the year 1932 .

As mentioned, Crohn ‘s disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract, thus forming part of the set of ailments known as inflammatory bowel disease.

The exact root of the disease is unknown, it is said that it is hereditary, research indicates that the disease has a gene on chromosome 16, it can be made up of two elements: first, genetic in nature, especially in patients who had relatives of Hebrew and environmental origin that increases the risk of having it. The disease unites with another set of ills, calling itself diseases.

Characteristics of Crohn’s disease

It varies depending on where you are , such as: Australia, South Africa and southern European countries, state that Crohn’s disease is minimal among people, showing events of 0.5 to 0.8 cases restored per 100,000 inhabitants per year, being in urban areas much higher.

The least likely to suffer from Crohn’s are Asians, this disease is more common in white people, usually in Jews, in the inhabitants of Israel it can involve the environmental factor for the development of the ailment and in Caucasians . Crohn’s disease is perceived to be more common in women. The places with a stability of life as in urban areas predominate the Crohn’s more, it is greater than in rural areas and areas less economically benefited.

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In some investigations about the origin of the disease, it was found that, if the mother and father suffer from Crohn’s disease, the children have a 36% chance of being harmed, at any stage of their life, they took two twins and in both were perceived to be a 67% ratio for the Crohn.

For this reason it is believed that the disease is hereditary, the origin must be genetic to give progress to the Crohn, being this way it appears at any age, presenting itself in the second or third stage of the individual’s life. The greatest risk of suffering from the disease is in smokers, it increases twice the danger, among ex-smokers and those who do not smoke it is more common in active smokers.

Causes of Crohn’s disease

The origin of the disease is unknown, the pain is linked to a difficulty with the response of the body’s immune system (Cells, Tissues and Organs). It is normal for the immune system to strengthen and protect the body, but in people with Crohn’s and any type of inflammatory bowel disease, our immune system differs between good and bad substances, in other words, it does not make a difference in what it can do to us damage or not.

The effect will be an overactive immune response (disorder of the immune system) or wrong response causing autoimmune diseases, leading to chronic inflammation. The immune system is the one who defends your body from viruses, bacteria and foreign substances for your health.

How can Crohn’s disease be found?

The most common thing to know if you suffer from Crohn’s are physical examinations, since it can manifest a skin rash, mouth ulcers, swollen joints, or more abdominal tenderness. When you are going to perform physical exams include:

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• Radiopaque or Opaque Enema
• Endoscopy and Colonoscopy
• Sigmoidoscopy with enteroscopy
• X-rays of the esophagus, stomach and small intestine.
• Magnetic resonance imaging of the abdomen
• Cross-sectional X-ray of the abdominal area

On the other hand, an analysis of the stool culture (stool culture) is prepared to eliminate possible reasons for the symptoms. The Crohn can modify some results such as: hemoglobin, fecal fat, blood plasma, C Reactive Protein, liver function tests, ESR rate and white blood cell count.

Diagnosis of Crohn’s disease

First, a complete analysis is carried out to establish the analysis of the disease, starting with the medical history of the person’s relatives, which contains in detail all the complete symptoms, a physical examination is also performed.

The symptoms of Crohn’s can be similar to other diseases, which is why the doctor will perform different medical tests to rule out other causes of the ailment. The analyzes can contain:

• Endoscopy and Colonoscopy of the tract
• Computed tomography (CT) colonography
• Stool tests: it can be a physical and biochemical study to exclude infections or to show if they contain blood.
• Blood tests: measures the number of cells in the blood, locating the appearance of inflammation and antibodies.
• X-ray of the gastrointestinal tract: it is done in real time by means of a camera and light in the entire tip to observe the wall of the gastrointestinal tract, this is called fluoroscopy, obtaining samples with the tubes, another way is to ingest a tiny special camera to evaluate the 9 feet (approximately 2.75m) of the small intestine, because it is not possible to reach certain areas with the endoscope.
• Virtual Colonoscopy: it is a technique used to take images of a polyp (a tiny accumulation of cells that form in the colon), although its use is not guaranteed by various studies and is debated today.
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): uses a magnet and radio waves to look at organs and structures found in the body, such as the thickness of the wall of the intestine, to determine if there are fistulas and to acquire infected fluid from the abdomen.

Grades and levels of Crohn’s disease

Crohn’s is distributed into different groups or types of disease, related to age, how the diagnosis of the disease began, the location of the damaged digestive tract and its progress over time called the evolutionary pattern; that Crohn’s model can vary in the patient over time.

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Based on the distribution of the Crohn’s, it can manifest different symptoms, often be related to problems or the obligation of surgeries, or simply develop complications very quickly or not that may require different levels of treatment , depending on the location of the gastrointestinal wall. we will find:

Vertical location
Ileitis: is the inflammation of the ileum suddenly, an estimated 10 to 30% of people with Crohn’s disease have damage exclusively to the small intestine.

It causes severe pain in the right part of the iliac area (part of the abdomen, located above the groin), it can deteriorate after eating food, also suffering from diarrhea morning and night, it can contract fistulas and stenosis.

Colitis

It is an inflammatory process of the intestine , which occurs when the lining of the large intestine or rectum becomes inflamed, it is estimated that 20% to 30% of Crohn’s patients show pain only in one or more parts of the colon or large intestine, no irritation in the small intestine.

It can be linked to lack of weight, fever, rectal bleeding or proctorrhagia, anorectal abscess, and eye, skin and joint demonstrations, in children it begins as a delay in growth, when the abdominal area is being observed, if the patient suffers a strong pain in the part of the right iliac fossa, it will be necessary and mandatory to do a revision in the rectal part and in the anus.

Ileus colitis

This disease is part of the Crohn’s disease usually affects the ileum and colon in a row, and is the most common in the Crohn’s location, it is estimated 60% to 65% of people who suffer from this pain, thus affecting the part of the distal ileum. and in certain areas of the colon, primarily those that are close to the ileum (final section of the small intestine in the digestive system). The symptoms that you are going to present are: fever, diarrhea and abdominal pain, it can be linked to abscesses, fistulas and intestinal obstruction.

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High digestive bleeding

It refers to any bleeding that occurs in the digestive tract, it is not a regular location, it is simply suffered by 0.5 and 10% of people who suffer from Crohn’s disease. It damages the part of the stomach, duodenum and small intestine, it can be attached with certain locations mentioned above.

Crohn’s disease and affected organs

As might be expected, any intestinal disease, such as Crohn’s affects the intestines and other tracts of the digestive tract , often causing inflammation, the origin of Crohn’s disease is unknown, but it possibly involves the immune system mistakenly attacking the area of the digestive tract. digestive tract. Not only the intestines are damaged, but also other places in your body such as the pancreas, gallbladder and liver .

Crohn’s disease types

• Crohn’s Obstructive Stenosing fiber : is that constriction or narrowing of the intestine, as Crohn’s disease passes it will depend on each person and over the years, it regularly leads to a pattern of outbreaks and increases and decreases in pain, when symptoms begin, pain increases more, this is caused by the repeated and chronic pattern of relapses in Crohn’s.
• Crohn Luminal : it is characterized by the inflammatory variation in the lumen or tube of the intestine, there are estimates that specify that 55% of people who suffer from luminal Crohn’s disease do not have increases or decreases in the pain that it can cause. that is, they are free of remission for a year, 15% have low disease and 30% show it high.

A person who is in remission for a year has an 80% chance of remaining in remission for 12 more months, and differentiates those who perceived active disease in the previous year, they have a 70% chance of a periodic symptomatic appearance in next year.

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• Crohn’s fistulant: another offspring of Crohn’s disease is known as Crohn’s fistulant, fistulas are the abnormal connections between two parts of the body such as a blood vessel or organ, they are usually the result of surgery or injury, they also arise between the intestine and another structure such as the bladder, skin or vagina.

Fistulas can form in various parts of the body, forming in arteries and veins, the neck and throat or bile ducts, the danger of patients with Crohn’s disease is to develop, for all its pathway, a fistula, an estimated 20 to 40%.

The prediction of this Crohn’s disease depends on the complexity and location of the fistulas, but this is not always the case, many people tend to go after medical or surgical methods.

How does Crohn’s disease affect children?

Crohn’s disease is a disease of inflammation and chronic ailment, which can be reproduced in various stages of your life, in children physical, social, emotional and family difficulties can develop as a consequence of this disease, and that increases the quality of use and proper medical treatment of all ailments.

The following are the difficulties that children have to face:

• Response to your emotions:
• Feeling guilty about having the disease
• Being unsuccessful or frustrated with physical problems
• Annoyance with yourself
• They have limitations, not being at the same pace as the people around them
• Regret being different than other people
• Commiserating with physical problems
• Changes in mood caused by illness and medications
• Grieving, and being vulnerable, to the inability to trust the body to function steadily

Social drawbacks

• Changes in the ability to focus on any activity such as work or class
• Change in physical endurance
• Shy from constantly using the bathroom
• Feeling pressured by Lack of knowledge in the disease, by third parties
• Pressure when choosing meals

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Effects on the family

• Instruct that the child has to be independent with Crohn’s disease.
• Encourage the child in illness.
• Try to improve frustration in moments of disgust.
• Support and know how to deal with sudden changes in the family nucleus.
• Instruction about the disease by family members to educate themselves on and understand the consequences for the child.
• Mutual support between the family nucleus.
• Understand the needs of the child with the Crohn’s, as well as those of the other members of the family.

Symptoms of Crohn’s disease in adults

The symptoms will depend on the part that is affected in the digestive tract, they will fluctuate from mild to severe and can appear one day and disappear another day with periods of flare-ups. But in general, the symptoms of Crohn’s disease are the following:

• Colic, you will feel abdominal pain in the belly area.
• You may have a fever.
• Fatigue will be inevitable.
• You will not have an appetite and therefore you will lose weight.
• You will feel like defecating, it is normal, but what is not normal is that you will feel the same desire even when your intestines are empty, and this implies effort, pain and colic.
• The stools can be very watery, that is to say liquid diarrhea and can present blood.

Other symptoms can include:

• Probably instead of diarrhea present constipation, quite the opposite.
• The eyes will show inflammation and ulcers.
• The rectum area may have pus, draining mucus, or stool caused by fistulas.
• Joint pain could also be a symptom of Crohn’s disease, as well as swelling.
• Your gums can bleed.
• The nodules will appear under the skin, red and sensitive, which could turn into skin ulcers.

Symptoms of Crohn’s disease in children

Children with Crohn’s disease have inflammation in various segments of the colon, and in the lower ileum. But it will vary depending on the child, because each one is different, for example: some have the inflammation distributed throughout the small intestine, mainly in the jejunum and upper ileum.

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Other children, in a minority, have inflammation only in the stomach and upper section of the small intestine.

Life expectancy with Crohn’s disease

This disease has been studied for half a century and progress has been made in terms of diagnosis and treatment. The good news is that this research has shown that only 1% of complications are life-threatening in people with Crohn’s disease, such as toxic megacolon.

In 1950 the risk of death was high, reaching 30% to 60% but today these statistics have fortunately been reduced to only 3% or less die from Crohn’s disease . Thanks to the use of natural treatments, medical treatments, diets and exercises, as well as stress management techniques.

Crohn’s disease during pregnancy

A woman with Crohn’s disease can have a smooth pregnancy, especially if it occurs when the disease is in remission. Years ago it was considered that this disease was worsened by pregnancy, but today, thanks to the treatments that are available, its symptoms are easily controlled.

The evolution of the pregnancy is good, but if it occurs when it is active, complications are very likely to arise, among which we can mention a high possibility of having a premature birth or that your baby has a low birth weight.

Teens can get Crohn’s disease

Contrary to the previous statistics where it was said that the mortality rate was higher years ago, and that in the past years pregnant women presented symptoms intensified by the disease, and that nowadays they no longer; These statistics regarding adolescents are really the opposite, since at present the suffering of this disease in adolescents has increased by 300%.

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In ten years, Crohn’s disease has multiplied in adolescents because they do not watch their eating habits today, and in fact they consume a lot of junk food. It is not only junk food that causes adolescents to suffer from this disease, but also the increased use of antibiotics.

Complications of Crohn’s disease

Crohn’s disease can have the following complications:

• Malnutrition.
• Intestinal damage
• Growth retardation
• Colon cancer.

Foods allowed and prohibited with Crohn’s disease

With a good diet you can avoid the annoying symptoms, you can also contribute to the healing of this disease. Let’s talk about the forbidden and allowed foods for those with Crohn’s disease.

Foods to avoid

Avoid spinach, sausages and citrus fruits such as oranges, you should also completely eliminate alcohol, coffee and spice; butter and whole dairy. Do not eat flatulent foods such as cauliflower, cabbage, sodas, legumes with skin, and whole grains. And finally, avoid foods with sorbitol such as gum, diet drinks and candies.

Foods to promote

You can eat white fish, white meat, blue fish, they are foods rich in omega -3, also consume foods rich in beta-carotene such as papayas, carrots, pumpkins and mango. You can also consume wheat germ, avocado, and olive oil; and in case you do not tolerate dairy, consume lactic bacteria present in yogurt; And finally, foods that provide quercetin are also recommended such as: onions, apples, and broccoli.

Biodecoding and Crohn’s disease

Biodecoding has a lot to do with many diseases, among which is Crohn’s disease and let’s see why:

In this disease, the immune system attacks its own intestine causing inflammation, and the affected part is the ileum, which can appear in any area of ​​the digestive tract. That said, it is important that you know that emotional conflicts can cause some symptoms to appear or worsen those that are already suffered.

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Alcohol and Crohn’s disease

Research on this disease has specifically shown in a study conducted in 2007 that alcoholic beverages increase abdominal pain because they contain sugar and other ingredients that are harmful to the digestive system.

Is Crohn’s disease contagious?

This Crohn’s disease presents with acute episodes of pain and strong symptoms because the layers of the intestinal wall are damaged, but all this is its own condition, which has nothing to do with having been infected, much less will you infect someone else because it is not contagious.

Crohn’s disease and cancer

It was mentioned above lines that one of the complications that Chron’s disease has is that of suffering from cancer, in the small intestine and at the same time, or only in one of the two, the large intestine.

If it is detected early, it can be treated and fought with effective treatments, you should go to the doctor to rule out that you have cancer if you have more than 10 years suffering from Crohn’s disease, since the risk is related by two factors: the duration of the inflammation and the severity and location of the disease.

Is Crohn’s disease considered hereditary?

The answer is a resounding yes , this disease is hereditary in certain families, 20% of people with Crohn’s disease have a first-degree family member with this condition or with ulcerative colitis.

When I tell you that the relative is first degree I mean a very close relative, there is a 30% chance that children with both parents who carry this predisposition to suffer Crohn in their genes will also suffer from it.

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Lupus and Crohn’s disease

The association of SLE (systemic lupus erythematosus) and Crohn’s disease is infrequent, those with lupus present intestinal damage due to vasculitis, but those with Crohn’s present oral ulcers, arthritis and others, or the only one that can be mentioned between these two diseases is that sulfasalazine could cause induced lupus in those with Crohn’s disease.

Crohn’s disease vs ulcerative colitis

Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are often treated as if they were the same, but each has its peculiarities, although the confusion occurs because both share many similar aspects, for example, the inflammatory process that is the same in both diseases.

For this reason both are called Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, they have the same symptoms in general and their ailments are almost the same. So how do I know if I have colitis or Crohn’s disease? Surely you ask yourself that question since so far they seem to be the same.

The answer is simple, the areas of the body affected by each disease are different , Crohn’s disease affects anywhere in the digestive tract from the mouth to the anus, and colitis affects the colon. The injuries they cause are also different.

Crohn’s disease and healthy habits

This disease does not have a definitive cure, but those who suffer from it can lead a normal life, controlling it by taking care of the following habits:

• Manage anxiety and stress.
• Control what you eat.
• Sleep enough.
• Don’t have bad drug, alcohol, and cigarette habits.

Can Crohn’s disease cause death?

This disease is rare, to diagnose it, studies and interviews with the patient must be carried out in order to rule out that it is another of the similar diseases, but as mentioned above, it is possible that it causes death, but in a very low percentage since it is controllable.

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Crohn’s disease or celiac disease?

The chromosomal sites PTPN2, IL18RAP, TAGAP, and PUS10 are four areas in DNA that are associated with the appearance of both disorders. Both celiac disease and Crohn’s disease are chronic inflammatory bowel, but celiac disease is more common, and people with celiac disease are at high risk of developing Crohn’s disease.

Crohn’s disease or irritable bowel syndrome

The diseases have similarities, for example that both affect the gastrointestinal tract, and their symptoms are abdominal cramps, apathy and diarrhea in both diseases. They are painful and can cause depression.

Crohn’s disease and chemotherapy treatment

Chemotherapy especially treats cancer with chemicals, and this same therapy is effective for autoimmune disorders, such as Crohn’s disease, to name a few examples: Mercaptopurine, or 6-MP interferes with metabolic action, Cyclosporine lowers the body’s immune response , Methotrexate this blocks cell production, and Infliximab is a tumor necrosis factor blocker.

What does Crohn’s disease in remission mean?

There are times when the symptoms of the disease are very active even with treatment, these are known as outbreaks or active periods, which can last from weeks to months, and can vary from mild: diarrhea, cramps to more serious symptoms such as: pain severe abdominal and bowel obstructions.

But when the disease goes into remission , there will be no noticeable symptoms, this means that the lining of the digestive tract has healed and it will not show symptoms of inflammation for a time of which the duration is unknown. But the treatment is mainly based on maintaining this state of remission as long as possible.

Alternative treatments for Crohn’s disease

Whoever suffers from this disease is documented as much as possible, and until now it has been seen that natural treatments, chemotherapies, healthy habits will help keep it in remission, you will feel good to the point of forgetting that you suffer from it; other treatments that can help you are: the corticoid, with stools and psychological.

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Corticosteroid treatment

This treatment can be in two ways: systemic corticosteroids and topical corticosteroids:

SYSTEMIC CORTICOSTEROIDS

This is a drug that is used to induce remission, they are usually faster and more effective than aminosalicylates.

TOPICAL CORTICOSTEROIDS

These are new steroids with high liver metabolism and very low toxicity, they are capsules that contain granules that allow the release of 50 to 80% of the drug in the ascending colon and in the ileum mainly.

Treatment with feces

The feces have bacteria called microbiota , which fight bacteria that resist antibiotics, this is a fecal transplant, and the donor must be healthy to be able to recolonize the intestine of the patient and restore their intestinal ecosystem to eliminate the infection. .

Psychological treatment

A psychological treatment is necessary since all the symptoms can make the patient depressed, and this treatment will help him to accept the disease and therefore the consequences will minimize.

A psychological therapy will help you unburden yourself by giving all the details, they will create a coping model for you, you will practice relaxation techniques, problem-solving strategies will be created, you will acquire social skills and you will do distraction techniques, with a cognitive restructuring.

Natural treatments for Crohn’s disease

In addition to all the treatments that we have mentioned so far, a natural treatment also contributes to the improvement of Crohn’s disease. It’s about acupuncture:

Acupuncture

A combined use of acupuncture and moxibustion, that is, the burning of herbs on specific acupuncture points has a really positive effect on people who have the disease in question, increases hemoglobin, decreases C-reactive proteins, and significantly increases the quality of life primarily for symptomatic relief.

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General recommendations for Crohn’s disease

The general recommendations have been a summary of this entire article because in each of the titles there was always a recommendation to improve the disease, which were listed below:

• Exercise regularly.
• Do not smoke.
• Drink lots of fluids.
• How healthy.
• Write down the foods that trigger the outbreak and avoid them.
• Don’t drink coffee.
• Do not drink alcohol.
• Follow your treatment to the letter.
• Visit your doctor regularly.