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Crohn Disease Bowel

Crohn's Disease

Crohn's disease is a type of “Inflammatory Bowel Disease”. It is inflammation of one or more parts of the gastrointestinal system, from mouth to the anus. In most cases (45%) the disease occurs in the end of the small intestine which is called ileum and the beginning of the large intestine which is called colon. In 35% of the cases the disease occurs in the end of the ileum. In 20% of the cases it occurs just in the colon. Wherever the disease occurs it causes swelling, redness and loss of normal function. There is a very similar “IBD” disease which is also inflammatory bowel disease called “ Ulcerative Colitis”. The difference is that in “Ulcerative Colitis” only the colon can be infected.

The symptoms of Crohn's disease can be painful and very unpleasant. Abdominal pain, weight loss, and diarrhea are common symptoms. The symptoms depend on where the Crohn's disease occur. The symptoms can occur in the small bowel, the colon, the intestines, and the stomach. 70 to 80% of the people with small bowel Crohn's disease complain about cramping, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and weight loss. The reason people lose weight is because they find out that the pain is caused by eating. When they don't eat they soon lose weight. The symptoms of the Crohn's disease in the colon depend on what part of the colon is infected. If it is infected on the right side of the colon the patient would have cramping and diarrhea. If it is infected on the left side of the colon or most of the colon is infected the symptoms would be cramps, diarrhea, and blood in the stool. Many people with Crohn's disease in the stomach have no symptoms at all. 90% of those patients who have the symptoms feel pain of the right, middle, or left side of the abdomen. This normally occurs after eating meals. Of all patients with Crohn's disease in the stomach 30% have nausea, vomiting or both and 50% lose weight.

There is no known cure for Crohn's disease. Treatments include surgical procedures and different medications. The medications are Cortisone or Steroids, Anti inflammation drugs, immune system suppressors, infliximab and antibiotics. 60% - 80% of all patients with Crohn's Disease will need a surgery to treat it at least once. There are many different operations for Crohn's disease depending on where in your digestive system it is occurs. In most cases of Crohn's disease it is a simple surgery in the patients intestines. The surgeons cut into the middle of the infected intestine and stitch the lower end to the upper end. In severe cases surgeons might have to take out the entire large intestines if the treatments don't have any effects on the disease. This operation is called colectomy. When the large intestine are removed the doctors replace it with a bag which catches the waste your large intestine cannot and sends it through the anus. If a patient has Crohn's disease of the stomach it rarely needs surgery. When it does need surgery it is because of the narrowing and the blockage of the lower part of the stomach. When you have Crohn's disease it is better not eat whole foods. If the patient drinks food that was put into a blender, the bowel has a chance to rest.

The cause of Crohn's disease is still unknown but there are reasons to believe that the disease has a genetic component. If a person has Crohn's disease there is about 15 to 25 percent chance of the disease occurring in the extended family. Also, if both parents have Crohn's disease the risk of the disease occurring in the children is at lease 50 percent.

Several studies show that cigarette smoking increases the risk of Crohn's disease. It appears that smoking also increases the likelihood that Crohn's disease will occur after surgery. Another theory is that the inflammation of Crohn's disease is caused by several products of the immune system that attack the body itself instead of helpfully attacking a foreign invader (such as virus or bacteria).

Crohn's disease is found equally in both men and women. Crohn's disease can effect people of any age but it mostly effects younger people between the ages of fifteen and thirty. The disease occurs throughout the world but it is more common in temperate climates than in tropical climates. It is found more in developed areas such as North America, United Kingdom, Scandinavia, and Western Europe. Crohn's disease is a little more common in Jews who are from Eastern Europe than in non-Jews. It is also less common in Eastern European Jews who moved to Israel.

One of the first people who described the disease was a Scottish surgeon named Dalziel. He published in 1913 a paper about nine patients who had intestinal inflammation with common symptoms. However, the disease was named after Dr. Burrill Bernard Crohn. He and his colleagues at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, published a series of papers in 1932 based on Dalziel's findings

Over the past 30 years, the life expectancy of most people with Crohn's disease is close to that of people without it. This is thanks to early diagnosis of the disease, available treatments (surgeries and medications) and better attention to nutrition. Researchers estimates say that 10 - 1000 per 100,000 people get the disease in North America. There are only two complications to this disease which are life threatening - massive distention or dilation of the colon and rupture of the intestines. As I mentioned those complications are rare. Only 5% - 10% of all Crohn's disease patients will die of their disease mostly because of massive infections. However, most patients with Crohn's disease (60% - 80%) can expect surgery(s).

I could not find any information on the topic of “Crohn's disease sex linked or not” from the websites I researched and from the book I had read. I believe that Crohn's disease is not sex linked.

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