Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), like ulcerative colitis, which is characterized by causing diarrhea and abdominal pain among other symptoms that are sometimes very varied. The incidence of IBD has multiplied by 10 in Spain in the last 25 years, and currently around 2,000 new cases are detected per year, with an annual increase of 2.5%.
Causes of Crohn's disease
It is not known why a failure in the immune system causes inflammation, which in Crohn's disease can affect any part of the digestive tract, from the mouth to the anus; and in the case of ulcerative colitis it is located only in the large intestine. Its cause is unknown, although the interaction of different factors lead to an exaggerated immune response towards the intestinal microbiota itself.
In Spain there are about 150,000 people who suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, according to ACCU ESPAÑA
Crohn's disease symptoms
Not all patients have all of these symptoms, and some have none:
- Diarrhea with or without bleeding. There can be more than a dozen visits to the bathroom per day.
- Abdominal pain that can occur in any location and has a long history.
- In some cases, fever.
- Loss of appetite
- Weightloss.
- Tiredness due to inflammation itself
- Lesions in skin, bones, eyes … derived from inflammation.
How Crohn's Disease Is Diagnosed
40% of Crohn's patients take a year to be diagnosed, because it is a little known disease and easy to confuse with ailments that cause diarrhea and abdominal pain (intestinal infections, celiac disease, irritable bowel …).
- More difficult still. To further complicate the diagnosis, crohn is characterized by flare and other periods in which the disease is in remission and does not give symptoms.
- What will the doctor do. He will order blood and stool tests. In addition to a colonoscopy and, if necessary, a CT and MRI.
Crohn's disease: treatment
The goal of treatment is to restore the patient's quality of life to the extent possible. For this, it is essential to control and, if possible, cure inflammation. The crohn does not heal, but the inflammation does. As it manifests itself in very diverse and changing ways throughout evolution, the treatment will be personalized.
- Personalized diet. You must follow a balanced diet, without restriction of any food. Only in the event that the outbreak patient does not tolerate some food will it be necessary to restrict it; but it must be a temporary restriction. If you have crohn's and stenosis, special recommendations are made regarding fiber intake.
- Pharmacotherapy. There are classical treatments (cortisone, immunomodulators …) to biological ones, which are antibodies whose function is to block the inflammatory cascade in some of its points.
- Surgery. In many cases it is necessary to resolve inflammation that does not respond to treatment or complications derived from crohn's. But surgery does not cure the disease, and after it, treatment must be continued.
It is very important not to smoke. The crohn patient should stop smoking and, if it is difficult, seek help to do so. Crohn's patients who smoke respond worse to treatments and have to undergo more frequent operations.
Consequences of the disease
Not only is suffering from Crohn's disease a problem in itself, it can lead to other health complications. Among others, the following stand out:
- Malnutrition Not only due to lack of appetite or diarrhea, but also, and to a greater extent, derived from the inflammation itself.
- Perianal injuries. From an anal fissure, to fistulas or abscesses.
- Osteoporosis. The weakening of the bones is frequent in patients with Crohn's disease due to the inflammation itself that can hinder the absorption of essential nutrients, due to the chronic use of corticosteroids.
- Arthritis. This inflammation of the joints and the tissues that surround the bone can occur before the crohn develops, although it usually occurs throughout its evolution.
- Psychological problems. During the outbreak phase, the life of the person suffering from crohn's is greatly affected, so they may need psychological support to cope.
