Crohn’s disease is a lifelong condition, but proper treatment makes all the difference
If you live with Crohn’s disease, you’re already familiar with the incessant fatigue, abdominal pain, and diarrhea that comes along with a Crohn’s diagnosis. Crohn’s is an autoimmune disorder that causes inflammation and damage to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Crohn’s disease may be a lifelong condition, but today, there are an abundance of effective treatments that can help bring relief to your symptoms and reduce your risk of experiencing more serious health complications. Here’s what an expert needs you to know about managing this chronic condition.
What is Crohn’s disease?
Crohn’s disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It can cause inflammation to any part or layer of your bowel, although most often, it affects the end of your small bowel to the beginning of your colon, per Mayo Clinic. When Crohn’s is left untreated, serious complications tend to arise in the small bowel, which is much narrower than other areas of the GI tract, says Dr. Gil Melmed, MD, the director of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinical Research at Cedars-Sinai, and the associate director of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Cedars-Sinai.
The exact causes of Crohn’s disease are still relatively unknown. Likely, it’s likely an interplay between genetic and environmental factors, says Melmed. There’s also a growing body of research that’s studying how the microbiome impacts IBD susceptibility, per the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Issues.
According to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, potential factors that may aggravate a Crohn’s flare-up are:
Missing doses of prescription medication intended for Crohn’s treatment
Taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
Taking antibiotics
An infection of the GI tract
Smoking
How does Crohn's disease affect you?
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, the two main types of IBD, share many of the same symptoms. Per the CDC, common symptoms linked to IBD include diarrhea, stomach pain, fatigue, nausea and weight loss. Crohn’s disease also has a few distinct symptoms that usually aren’t seen in ulcerative colitis:
Diarrhea that’s not typically bloody
Malnutrition
Mouth sores
People with Crohn’s disease also have an elevated risk of experiencing other health conditions, such as ulcers or anal fissures, per the CDC. Crohn’s can also increase your risk for developing anemia, blood clots, and colon cancer, per Cleveland Clinic.
What happens if Crohn's is left untreated?
One of the most serious complications of untreated Crohn’s disease are fistulas. This condition occurs when an untreated ulcer perforates the lining of the bowel, creating an opening to another area of the body, Melmed explains. Fistulas can also leave you vulnerable to developing an abscess, “which is an infection inside the abdomen that can lead people to get very sick,” Melmed says. Surgery is usually required to treat this kind of complication.
Bowel obstruction is another potential complication of Crohn’s. When someone has Crohn’s disease, inflammation in the bowel turns into scar tissue, says Melmed. If left untreated, the buildup of scar tissue causes the bowel walls to become very thick and narrowed (called an intestinal stricture), per the CDC. Eventually, if the bowel becomes blocked, a bowel obstruction occurs, and emergency surgery may become necessary, Melmed says.
Does Crohn’s disease ever go away?
Today, there is no cure for Crohn’s disease. Historically, before there were effective medications for the treatment of Crohn’s disease, the majority of Crohn’s patients needed surgery to address complications that would inevitably arise, Melmed says. Luckily, “there's been a number of new treatments that have evolved over just the last decade or so,” Melmed says. Now, “we're seeing much lower rates of the need for surgery than we used to,” he says.
Everyone’s Crohn’s treatment will look a little different. There are a variety of prescription medications that can be used to help manage symptoms and reduce the likelihood of experiencing any serious complications.
One approach to treating Crohn’s is to take a type of medication that selectively blocks different pathways of the immune system. “Because IBD involves the immune system being overactive, we use medications that dampen that immune response,” Melmed says.
There’s also a range of anti-inflammatory medicines, biologics, janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors and antibiotics that could be prescribed to treat Crohn’s, according to Mayo Clinic.
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In recent years, researchers have started to evaluate the role of certain diets in managing the symptoms of Crohn’s. We’re only just beginning to understand how diet impacts the microbiome, and how the microbiome influences immune function, Melmed says. So, while it’s not fully known why certain diets could help alleviate Crohn’s symptoms, when used in synergy with prescription medications, they may offer potential benefits.
Because there are many treatment options for Crohn’s, working closely with a healthcare provider can help you evaluate the benefits and potential risks of each therapy. Ultimately, aligning your personal preferences and health needs will determine the best treatment for you.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What is Crohn's disease? Causes, symptoms and treatment
