Crohn's disease

Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It can affect any part of the GI system from the mouth to the anus (usually the small bowel and the beginning of the colon). People with Crohn's disease often have abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue, bloody stool and weight loss. Crohn's can also cause skin rashes, arthritis, and swollen eyes. It is named after Burrill Bernard Crohn, who described cases in 1932. It was first described by Giovanni Battista Morgagni (1682–1771) in the 18th century.

Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory and an idiopathic disease which means that we don’t know what exactly causes it. There are several factors that play a role in development of the disease such as genetics and the immune system. Though Crohn's is connected to the immune system, the exact underlying immune problem is not clear. There is disagreement in the medical community as to whether the disease is immune-related, immune-mediated or is an autoimmune disease (the immune system is not triggered by the body itself).Cho J.H. & Brant S.R. 2011. Recent insights into the genetics of inflammatory bowel disease. Gastroenterology 140 (6): 1704–12. PMID 21530736Marks D.J. et al 2010. Crohn's disease: An immune deficiency state. Clinical reviews in allergy & immunology. 38 (1): 20–31. PMID 19437144Lalande J.D. & Behr M.A. 2010. Mycobacteria in Crohn's disease: how innate immune deficiency may result in chronic inflammation. Expert review of clinical immunology. 6 (4): 633–41. PMID 20594136 There are also some lifestyle risk factors. The autoimmune reaction causes inflammation in the gut, leading to development of the symptoms listed above.

Crohn's disease seems to be connected to the person's genes.Barrett J.C. et al 2008. Genome-wide association defines more than 30 distinct susceptibility loci for Crohn's disease. Nature Genetics. 40 (8): 955–62. PMID 18587394 People whose brothers or sisters have the disease are the most likely to get it. Men and women can both be affected by Crohn's disease.

Around 20% of people with Crohn’s disease have Inflammatory bowel disease. Environmental factors can increase your risk of disease. For example, people who live in developed countries and urban areas have a higher risk. Studies show that patients who have had appendix surgery may have an increased risk of Crohn’s.

Managing Crohn's disease includes both lifestyle changes and various kind of medication. It is a chronic condition for which there is no cure. Certain parasitic intestinal worms appear to make the bowel less inflamed.These are certain flatworms (platyhelminthes) and roundworms (nematodes). It is supposed that the worms modify the immune reactions in the parts of the intestine where they live.

Alternative medicine of various kinds has been tried, with uncertain results.

 References 

 Other websites 
Crohn's disease information and tools for patients 
Crohn's disease facts from the National Institutes of Health 
Crohns Disease Resource Site 

Category:Diseases and disorders of the digestive system
Category:Immunology
Category:Crohn's disease
Category:Gastroenterology