Crohn's Disease
Crohn's disease is an inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal
(GI) tract. It predominates in the small intestine (ileum) and the large intestine (colon),
but may occur in any section of the GI tract.
Crohn's disease usually causes diarrhea, abdominal pain, often fever, and at times rectal
bleeding. Loss of appetite and subsequent weight loss also may occur. Symptoms may range
from mild to severe, but in general people with Crohn's disease can lead active and
productive lives.
Crohn's disease is usually chronic, however, it will has responded well to some nutritional
treatments. Medication only decreases inflammation and usually controls the symptoms, but
does not provide a cure.
Because Crohn's disease behaves similarly to ulcerative colitis, from which it may be
difficult to differentiate, the two disorders are grouped together as inflammatory bowel
disease (IBD).
Unlike Crohn's disease, in which all layers of the intestine are involved, and in which
there can be normal healthy bowel in between patches of diseased bowel, ulcerative colitis
affects only the innermost lining (mucosa) of the colon in a continuous manner.
Depending on where the involvement occurs, Crohn's disease may be referred to as Ileitis,
regional enteritis, or colitis, etc. To lessen the confusion, the term Crohn's disease can
be used to identify the disease wherever it occurs in the body (ileum, colon, rectum, anus,
stomach, duodenum, etc.).
It is referred to as Crohn's disease because Burrill B. Crohn was the first name in a
three-author landmark paper published in 1932, which described the disease
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