Crohns disease is a progressive disease of the gastro-intestinal tract that is considered an autoimmune disorder.  It’s related to ulcerative colitis in that they both involve heavy inflammation of the GI tract, but where ulcerative colitis always targets the colon, Crohn’s disease can target any part of the GI tract from the mouth to the anus.  Typically, Crohns disease only affects areas of the large intestine.  Because Crohns disease is most commonly associated with the large intestine, the most common symptoms are diahrea or constipation, and abdominal pain and cramping.  Crohns disease was named after Dr. Burril B. Crohn who discovered the condition in 1932 along with his two other colleagues Dr. Leon Ginzburg and Dr. Gordon D. Oppenheimer. Crohn’s disease belongs to the group of illnesses called Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

What Causes Crohn’s Disease?

It is suggested that the Crohns disease symptomis linked the genes of the sufferer. Where there have been cases of crohns disease in the bloodline of the person, there is a great possibility that that person will also get Crohns disease. Another theory espoused by some doctors and scientist is that the reaction of the immune system to the bacteria in the environment causes crohns disease.

Some doctors and scientists believe that Crohns disease is a result in the abnormal function of the immune system. According to studies, most people who have this type of disease are found to have some abnormalities in their immune system.  However, there has been no convincing and conclusive proof that the abnormalities in the immune system came before the illness set thus triggering it. Some sectors in the medical arena believe that the abnormality could have been caused by crohns disease itself and not the other way around. However, the most doctors and scientists agree that Crohns disease is not a by-product of physical and mental stress.

Subtypes Of Crohn’s Disease

There are at least five (5) known subtypes of Crohns disease. These subtypes are Ileocolitis, Ileitis, gastroduodenal Crohns disease, jejunoileitis and Crohn’s granulomatuos colitis. The Ileocolities is the most common form of this illness. In most cases, a patient who is suffering from this type of Crohns disease will have symptoms such as intense pain in the abdomen and significant weight loss.

Is there a  crohns disease cure?

Like all autoimmune disorders, Crohn’s disease is a pretty serious condition, and there isn’t really a crohns disease cure.  There are some new treatments available which control chrohn’s disease, but none are actually a crohn’s disease cure outright.  Some people seem to get occassionaly flare ups from their Crohns disease, but more or less live normal lives.  These treatments include drug therapy, nutritional therapy and surgery as the case may be.For young children, it is recommended that surgery should be delayed until such time when the child is older. Administration of drugs to children suffering from chrons didease should also be done with utmost care to avoid any unwanted side effects.

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