Crohn’s Disease: How To Tell If You Have It
Crohn’s disease is relatively common, with approximately 1 in every 1500 people suffering from the condition, although it occurs slightly more often in women and in smokers. The disease causes inflammation of the lining of the walls of the digestive tract and can occur anywhere along its length; but is most often found in patches of the small and large intestine. Symptoms vary for person to person, both in severity and frequency . Some people have very mild symptoms and the disease can go undiagnosed for years. Others will have very severe, frequent attacks and will require hospitalization.
The symptoms are caused by the inflammation of the wall of the affected parts of the digestive tract. When the disease flares up these become red and swollen and often cause pain. The site and severity of the pain can vary, but it is often felt in the lower right side of the abdomen and can be mistaken for appendicitis. Ulceration of the lining of the gut can occur and you will then see blood in your feces.
Diarrhea is a common symptom, although not universal. It varies from mild to severe and can be mixed with blood, pus or mucus. You may feel an urgent need to go to the toilet. It is common to feel you want to go to the toilet but have nothing to pass (tenesmus). The disease also causes a general feeling of being unwell, with a loss of appetite, weight loss, fever and extreme tiredness. If blood loss is heavy, anemia can occur and if large parts of the bowel are affected, you may not be able to absorb food properly leading to vitamin and nutrient deficiency. Sometimes the skin of the anus may become cracked, bleeding and painful.
Diagnosis of Crohn’s disease is normally given after a number of tests and investigations have been carried out. If a patient has been showing signs of the disease such as weight loss, pain and diarrhea for three or more weeks, their doctor will normally take stool and blood samples, arrange for endoscopic examinations and barium x- rays, and may also have biopsies taken, in order to confirm the diagnosis.
Following diagnosis, there are a variety of treatment options. Medication is prescribed, depending on the extent and severity of the disease. For mild symptoms, a group of drugs called 5-aminosalicylates are used to calm the inflammation and reduce its effects. For more severe symptoms, steroids are often given and these can prove to be highly effective. However, because of their side effects, steroids are not commonly given over a long period of time. Drugs such as antibiotics are sometimes needed to fight infection, and dietary supplements,e.g. iron,may be given to people who have become debilitated through the disease.
For a large majority of people with the illness, there may be times when medication alone is not enough. Sometimes a strict diet is required for a short time to rest the digestive system. Often people will require hospitalization and even surgery to remove a very affected part, or a blockage or abscess in some part of the gut.
At present there is no cure for Crohn’s disease and no known way to prevent it, but the symptoms can be treated and the periods of remission can be stretched to last several years. Most people are able to lead normal lives. The research and development of new medications for Crohn’s disease is continuing, and it seems likely that there will be a number of new treatments available in the near future.
