CROHN'S DISEASE .

Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It causes swelling of the tissues (inflammation) in your digestive tract, which can lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition.

Inflammation caused by Crohn's disease can involve different areas of the digestive tract in different people, most commonly the small intestine. This inflammation often spreads into the deeper layers of the bowel.
Crohn's disease can be both painful and debilitating, and sometimes may lead to life-threatening complications.

There's no known cure for Crohn's disease, but therapies can greatly reduce its signs and symptoms and even bring about long-term remission and healing of inflammation. With treatment, many people with Crohn's disease are able to function well.

Symptoms
In Crohn's disease, any part of your small or large intestine can be involved. It may involve multiple segments, or it may be continuous. In some people, the disease is only in the colon, which is part of the large intestine.

Signs and symptoms of Crohn's disease can range from mild to severe. They usually develop gradually, but sometimes will come on suddenly, without warning. You may also have periods of time when you have no signs or symptoms (remission).

When the disease is active, symptoms typically include:

Diarrhea
Fever
Fatigue
Abdominal pain and cramping
Blood in your stool
Mouth sores
Reduced appetite and weight loss
Pain or drainage near or around the anus due to inflammation from a tunnel into the skin (fistula)
Other signs and symptoms
People with severe Crohn's disease may also experience symptoms outside of the intestinal tract, including:

Inflammation of skin, eyes and joints
Inflammation of the liver or bile ducts
Kidney stones
Iron deficiency (anemia)
Delayed growth or sexual development, in children

Causes
The exact cause of Crohn's disease remains unknown. Previously, diet and stress were suspected, but now doctors know that these factors may aggravate, but don't cause, Crohn's disease. Several factors likely play a role in its development.

Immune system. It's possible that a virus or bacterium may trigger Crohn's disease; however, scientists have yet to identify such a trigger. When your immune system tries to fight off an invading microorganism or environmental triggers, an atypical immune response causes the immune system to attack the cells in the digestive tract, too.
Heredity. Crohn's disease is more common in people who have family members with the disease, so genes may play a role in making people more likely to have it. However, most people with Crohn's disease do not have a family history of the disease.
Risk factors
Risk factors for Crohn's disease may include:

Age. Crohn's disease can occur at any age, but you're likely to develop the condition when you're young. Most people who develop Crohn's disease are diagnosed before they're around 30 years old.
Ethnicity. Although Crohn's disease can affect any ethnic group, whites have the highest risk, especially people of Eastern European (Ashkenazi) Jewish descent. However, the incidence of Crohn's disease is increasing among Black people who live in North America and the United Kingdom. Crohn's disease is also being increasingly seen in the Middle Eastern population and among migrants to the United States.
Family history. You're at higher risk if you have a first-degree relative, such as a parent, sibling or child, with the disease. As many as 1 in 5 people with Crohn's disease has a family member with the disease.
Cigarette smoking. Cigarette smoking is the most important controllable risk factor for developing Crohn's disease. Smoking also leads to more-severe disease and a greater risk of having surgery. If you smoke, it's important to stop.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications. These include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others), naproxen sodium (Aleve), diclofenac sodium and others. While they do not cause Crohn's disease, they can lead to inflammation of the bowel that makes Crohn's disease worse.


Hashtags...

свернуть