Crohn's Disease

Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disorder of unknown origin. It usually affects the lowest portion of the small intestine, but it can occur in other parts of the digestive tract, from the mouth to the anus. Crohn's disease causes inflammation that extends deep into the lining of the intestinal wall, frequently causing crampy abdominal pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, loss of appetite, and weight loss. A common complication of the disease is blockage of the intestines caused by scar tissue that narrows the passageway. The disease may also cause sores, or ulcers, that break through to the surrounding tissues.

People with Crohn's disease also suffer from nutritional deficiencies. It affects men and women equally and tends to run in families. This disorder affects people in all age groups, but the onset usually occurs either between ages fifteen and thirty or between ages sixty and eighty. Children with Crohn's disease may suffer delayed development and stunted growth due to nutritional deficiencies. Crohn's disease can be difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are similar to those of other intestinal disorders, particularly ulcerative colitis – another inflammatory bowel disease which affects only the colon. Crohn's symptoms can also appear intermittently, occuring every few months to every few years for some people. In rare cases, the symptoms may appear once or twice and not return. If the disease continues for many years, bowel function gradually deteriorates. Left untreated, it can become extremely serious, even life threatening, and it may increase the risk of cancer by as much as twenty times.