What is crohn

What is Crohn’s Disease?

While many diseases out there today can be prevented or cured, it’s usually because researchers, scientists, and doctors actually know what causes the disease in the first place. Unfortunately, that is not the same with Crohn's disease. Crohn's disease is a disease where the exact cause is actually unknown which is probably why so many people have this disease and don't even know that they have it in the first place. In recent studies it was noted that stress, and the way people ate were what caused Crohn's disease, but now more doctors know that while these things will probably aggravate the disease, it’s not actually what causes Crohn's disease. Back to the drawing board again! There are factors in which a person may get Crohn's disease. They can be either hereditary or because of the immune system. Below, we will be going over these factors, risk factors, symptoms of Crohn's disease, complications and more.

Immune System Many doctors speculate that one of the reasons people get Crohn's disease in the first place is because of a virus, bacteria or infection in the immune system. When your immune system has a bacteria, virus or infection in it, the immune system tries to fight off the invading organism, however, if you have an abnormal immune system, the system actually fights against your own cells, rather than against the viral infection. Not only can the immune system attack its own cells but it can also endanger the digestive tract as well.

Heredity

Many doctors also speculate that Crohn's disease is caused by family members who have also had Crohn's disease. While this is only a speculation, what's not speculation is the plain and simple fact that while it’s not guaranteed to give you Crohn's disease if your mother or father had it, it does make you higher risk for this disease. The reason the speculation that Crohn's disease could be hereditary was thrown out the window was because of a pure and simple stat; most people that have Crohn's disease don't even have a family history of it to begin with!

Risk Factors If you follow, are or have any of the following, you are at a higher risk to get Crohn's disease: •

Age - people that get Crohn's disease; tend to be younger in age rather than older. Of course anyone can get it but stats show the majority of people that get it are younger in age rather than older in age. Most people that have been diagnosed were done so before the age of 30.

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Ethnicity - Crohn's disease can and will affect groups, but its seen primarily in people that are and people from Eastern Europe. Jewish people have the highest risk of getting Crohn's disease believe it or not.

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Cigarette Smoking - Big surprise! Cigarette smoking can actually lead to Crohn's disease along with other diseases, as we well know. If you smoke, this is another reason to quit.

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Location - Believe it or not, but your location may matter. If you live in a state or city where it’s urbanized or industrialized, you have a higher chance of getting Crohn's disease than someone who lives in the country. Obviously the whole thing with this is the environmental factors. Also, people that live in Northern Climates also tend to get Crohn's disease more than people who do not.

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Symptoms of Crohn's Disease There are a variety of symptoms when it comes to Crohn's disease, but here are a few taken from Wikipedia: "Signs and symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea (which may be bloody if inflammation is severe), fever, and weight loss. Other complications may occur outside the gastrointestinal tract and include anemia, skin rashes, arthritis, inflammation of the eye, and tiredness. The skin rashes may be due to infections as well as pyoderma gangrenosum or erythema nodosum. Bowel obstruction also commonly occurs and those with the disease are at greater risk of bowel cancer."

Complications from Crohn's Disease

If you thought Crohn's disease was bad enough, think again because it can also lead to worse conditions, diseases and issues within the body. Some of the issues include: •

Inflammation

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Bowel Obstruction

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Ulcers, Acid Reflux, GERD

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Fistulas

Fistulas are nothing to wag your finger at either. These hurt, and they can end up causing even more issues such as anal fissures where the skin around the anus tears and infections can occur, colon cancer, malnutrition due to not being able to eat because eating causes more pain and cramping, anemia, arthritis, liver disease, etc. The list goes on and on. This is a serious disease and one that could result in sickness or if untreated, death.