Crohn's Disease Health Article

Definition

Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), resulting in swelling and dysfunction of the intestinal tract.

Description

Crohn's disease involves swelling, redness, and loss of function of the intestine, especially the small intestine. There is evidence that this inflammation is caused by a misfire of the immune system, which attacks the body itself instead of attacking foreign invaders, such as viruses or bacteria. The inflammation of Crohn's disease most commonly occurs in the last part of the ileum (a section of the small intestine), and often includes the large intestine (the colon). However, inflammation may also occur in other areas of the gastrointestinal tract, including the mouth, esophagus, or stomach. Crohn's disease differs from ulcerative colitis, the other major type of IBD, in two important ways:

• The inflammation of Crohn's disease may be discontinuous, meaning that areas of involvement in the intestine may be separated by normal, unaffected segments of intestine. The affected areas are called "regional enteritis," while the normal areas are called "skip areas."
• The inflammation of Crohn's disease affects all the layers of the intestinal wall, while ulcerative colitis affects only the lining of the intestine.

Also, ulcerative colitis does not usually involve the small intestine; in rare cases it involves the terminal ileum (so-called "backwash" ileitis).

In addition to inflammation, Crohn's disease causes ulcerations, or irritated pits, in the intestinal wall. These pits occur because the inflammation has made areas of tissue shed away.

While Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are similar, they are also very different. Although it can be difficult to determine whether a patient has Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, it is important to make every effort to distinguish between these two diseases. Because the long-term complications of the diseases are different, treatment will depend on careful diagnosis of the specific IBD present.

Crohn's disease may be diagnosed at any age, although most diagnoses are made between the ages of 15–35. About 20–40 people out of 10,000 suffer from this disorder, with men and women having an equal chance of being stricken. Caucasians are more frequently affected than other racial groups, and people of Jewish origin appear three to six times more likely to suffer from IBD. IBD runs in families; an IBD patient has a 20% chance of having other relatives who are fellow sufferers.

Crohn's disease is a chronic disorder. While the symptoms can be improved, there is no known cure for the underlying disease.