The Cramping Condition: What is Crohn's Disease?

By: Jeff Foster..

What is Crohn's disease? Well now, that's a great question! If you have been suffering from Crohn's disease it is important that you completely understand exactly what is Crohn's disease so that you can seek the correct treatment to best to benefit your overall health.

A well known inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease may also be referred to as enteritis or even ileitis. With Crohn's disease your gastrointestinal or GI tract becomes inflamed which leads to the symptoms of Crohn's disease. This condition can attack any portion of the GI tract from the mouth to the anus, but most often it attacks the lower part of the small intestine, known as the Ilium.

The inflammation and edema associated with Crohn's disease runs deep into the lining of the gastrointestinal tract. With the inflammation and edema running so deep, it is easy to understand that this is where the pain associated with Crohn's disease comes from. The diarrhea commonly associated with Crohn's disease is also a result of this deep tissue inflammation. The swelling of the G.I. tract also causes it to frequently empty the contents of the bowel resulting in pain and diarrhea.

Crohn's disease can be a difficult diagnosis for your health care provider to make. Because it mimics other bowel conditions such as IBS or ulcerative colitis, it can be difficult to initially differentiate between them. Many other inflammatory bowel conditions attack only the uppermost layer of intestinal lining, but Crohn's disease has the ability to attack all layers of the intestinal tract. Another difference between Crohn's disease and other bowel conditions is that with Crohn's disease there may actually be areas normal healthy tissue found in between areas of diseased tissue.

It seems that Crohn's disease attacks both men and women equally and it does seem that there are some familial tendencies. In many cases it does tend to run in families. Recent research seems to indicate that almost 20% of those patients currently suffering with Crohn's disease also have a blood relative who are battling some form of inflammatory bowel disease of one type or the other. Most often this blood relative is a brother or sister and in some cases it may even be a parent or a child.

Crohn's disease is most often diagnosed in patients between the ages of 20 and 30. African-Americans appear currently to be at decreased risk for the development of Crohn's disease while those of Jewish descent seem to have an increased risk of developing Crohn's disease.

Crohn's disease must be aggressively managed in an effort to regain control of your life. It is not something you can choose to manage one day and then ignore it the next day. Working closely with your gastroenterologist is of vital importance for you to regain some semblance of control in your health life.

Yes, Crohn's disease certainly can alter your daily activities and it certainly requires an aggressive management plan designed in collaboration with your physician, but just because you have been diagnosed with Crohn's disease it does not mean that you simply give up on regaining control of your body and finding a healthy medium with which you can live.

While it may be a challenge for you to learn to manage your Crohn's disease, it is certainly worth the effort. Often times the abdominal cramping and diarrhea can seem as if they are taking control of every minute of your day. Step up to the challenge and work with your doctor until you get the management of your Crohn's disease symptoms right!

What is Crohn's disease? It is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that deserves your full attention as well as the aggressive treatment and management by your health care team.

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