Crohn's Disease

Overview of Crohn's Disease

Crohn's Disease Meaning in Urdu

اس بیماری کی وجہ سے ہاضمہ کی نالی کی دائمی سوزش کا سامنا کرنا پڑ سکتا ہے۔ عام طور پر یہ چھوٹی آنت کو متاثر کرتی ہے۔ اگر اس کے علاج کی طرف بر وقت توجہ نہ دی جائے تو یہ بڑی آنت پر بھی اثر انداز ہو سکتی ہے۔ اس کے علاوہ یہ منہ سے لے کر مقعد تک نالی کے کسی بھی حصے کو متاثر کر سکتی ہے۔ اس بیماری کی بنیادی وجوہات میں بیکٹریا، جینیاتی مسائل، اور سگریٹ نوشی شامل ہیں، جب کہ اس کی وجہ سے پیٹ درد، اسہال، بخار، اور وزن میں کمی کا سامنا کرنا پڑتا ہے۔

Crohn’s disease is a chronic condition in which a part of the digestive system becomes inflamed. From mouth to anus, any part of your gastrointestinal tract can be infected with Crohn’s disease.

This is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBS) and is generally characterized by an inflamed and irritated digestive tract. This is a life-long condition and can be life-threatening if not managed well.

Signs and Symptoms of Crohn's Disease

Symptoms of Crohn’s disease can vary from mild (remission) to severe (flare-ups). The symptoms of Crohn’s disease can last for weeks or years. Some of the common symptoms of Crohn’s are:

Some uncommon Corhn’s disease symptoms include:

  • Fever
  • Feeling sick
  • Redness in eyes
  • Painful skin tags
  • Mouth ulcers
  • Joint pain

Types of Crohn's Disease

Crohn’s disease can be of following types depending upon the affected  area of digestive tract:

  • Ileocolitis (ileum and colon irritation and irritability)
  • Ileitis (ileum irritation and irritability)
  • Gastroduodenal (irritation and irritability of stomach and duodenal part of intestine)
  • Jejunoileitis (jejunum irritation and irritability)
  • Granulomatous colitis (colon irritation and irritability)

Causes of Crohn's Disease

The exact cause of Crohn’s disease is unknown. Here are the most common reasons that cause Crohn’s disease, including:

  • Immune Reaction: Immune system cells sometimes start destroying the cells of the digestive tract that causes Crohn’s disease.
  • Genes: Your genetic makeup can also be the reason behind Crohn’s disease.
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Risk Factors of Crohn's Disease

Given below are certain risk factors that are associated with Crohn’s disease:

  • Family History
  • Age (affects more young people)
  • Ethnicity (White people from Eastern European backgrounds are affected by Crohn’s disease more than others
  • Smoking
  • Medications (NSAIDs)

Complications of Crohn's Disease

Crohn’s disease complications include:

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Prevention

You can’t prevent the onset of Crohn’s disease. However, good lifestyle practices can help to reduce the disease complexity. These lifestyle changes include:

  • Management of body weight
  • Making wise-food choices (foods that don’t trigger inflammation or affect your body weight)
  • Working out regularly
  • Stress management
  • Keeping an eye on the warning signs
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Diagnosis

Crohn’s disease diagnosis can consist of the following steps.

  • Medical History: Your doctor can take your medical history into account and determine your risk of suffering from Crohn’s disease.
  • Family History: By looking at your family history for Crohn’s disease and associated conditions your physician can proceed with the diagnosis further.
  • Blood Tests: Blood tests usually monitor the level of red blood cells in your body. Complete blood count (CBC) is usually enough for an anemia diagnosis.
  • Stool Test: Stool test can help to differentiate between Crohn’s disease and germs-induced diarrhea. Stool samples are analyzed to confirm the presence of bacteria or other parasites to rule out the possibility of infection.
  • CT Scan: CT scan is an imaging technique that helps to visualize the digestive tract and to assess the severity of inflammation.
  • Endoscopy: This technique used the camera for internal visualization of the digestive tract. This can be either gastrointestinal endoscopy or colonoscopy.

Treatment of Crohn's Disease | When to Consult a Doctor

There is no cure for Crohn’s disease. Though disease symptoms management is thought to provide relief. Depending upon the severity of symptoms and your age, your physician can recommend the following treatment options. These include:

1- Medications

A variety of medications is thought to help the symptoms of Crohn’s disease. These include:

  • Anti Inflammatory Drugs: These medicines help to fight the inflammation however, this only provides short-term treatment against the disease.
  • Immunomodulators: These immune modulators act on your immune system and may reduce the severity of the inflammatory response.
  • Antibodies: The use of antibodies also helps to reduce the symptoms of Crohn’s disease.
  • Biological Therapies: A number of biological therapies are effective for the treatment of Crohn’s disease. These therapies can help to fight inflammation by blocking specific proteins.

Note: Consult your doctor before taking any medications

2- Complementary Therapies

Depending upon individual requirements, there are certain therapies that can result in better management of PCOS. These therapies include:

  • Body Weight Management: Losing a certain amount of body weight can help women to minimize the complications associated with PCOS.
  • Stress Management: Stress management therapies are somehow effective for the treatment of stress-induced PCOS or adrenal PCOS.
  • Nutrient Therapy: Nutrient therapy is basically the management of PCOS symptoms by adjusting the presence of certain nutrients in your diet. This is one of the most effective treatment options for PCOS.

3- Diet

Dietary modifications are especially important to incase of Crohn’s disease. Consumption of certain diets can trigger flares. Here are the dietary tips to follow:

  • Reduce your fat intake
  • Adjust your fiber intake as fiber requirement for Crohn’s disease varies from person to person
  • Consume enough water
  • Reduce your dairy intake

4- Surgical Treatments

Surgeries can also help to fight the symptoms of Crohn's disease. These surgical treatments help to remove the damaged part of the digestive tract

In case of any concerning signs and symptoms, you need to visit a certified gastroenterologist