Crohn's Disease: Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment

Crohn’s disease is a form of inflammatory bowel disease that impacts and suppresses the immune system, causing painful and life-affecting symptoms. Often, people with Crohn’s disease will experience abdominal pain, fatigue and unexplained weight loss, with one of the tell-tale signs being bloody and/or mucousy stools. While these symptoms can be alarming and painful, there are treatments available to manage the condition and to help patients to achieve disease remission.

What is Crohn's disease?Crohn’s disease is one of two kinds of inflammatory bowel disease, along with ulcerative colitis. A review in the Lancet journal suggests that Crohn’s disease cases are increasing worldwide. While it is an incurable condition, long-term remission can be achieved with careful treatment. The most severe cases have the potential to be deadly, due to complications, and surgical intervention is sometimes needed, such as a colostomy, which leaves patients with a stoma.

Lee also says that intense inflammation can cause scarring in segments of the bowel, resulting in stricture formation from bands of scar tissue. As a result, the bowel wall becomes constricted, and the passage of gut contents is obstructed. Adhesions can occur, meaning the bowel walls become stuck together and fistulas may develop.

Crohn's disease can also trigger secondary autoimmune conditions and other inflammatory diseases, according to another World Journal of Gastroenterology study. The study concludes that: “Immune mediated diseases were significantly more frequent in patients with IBD.” Roxana Ehsani, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN Roxana Ehsani is a board-certified specialist in sports dietetics and a National Media Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise from Virginia Tech and a Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Pittsburgh and completed her dietetic internship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

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