Crohns Disease Causes » Diarrhea http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com Help, Cures and Support for Crohns Disease Sun, 13 Jun 2010 21:07:04 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 Pediatric Crohns Disease http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com/pediatric-crohns-disease/ http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com/pediatric-crohns-disease/#comments Thu, 08 Apr 2010 20:13:05 +0000 Dr Joe Stevenson http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com/?p=159 Delayed growth is a well-established feature of pediatric Crohns disease. Several factors have been shown to affect growth, including disease location, severity, and treatment. The recently discovered NOD2 gene has been correlated to ileal location of Crohns disease and subsequently could affect growth through the resulting phenotype or as an independent risk factor.

The aim of our study was to determine if growth retardation is affected by genotype independently of disease location or severity. Crohns disease is an inflammatory bowel disease of the gastrointestinal tract.

Approximately 500,000 Americans suffer from Crohn’s, and it is estimated that at least 150,000 of them are children under age 17.  In children, the disease usually presents between 12 and 16 years of age; however, it has been detected in children as young as 7 years old.

Both adult and pediatric Crohn’s patients may experience a number of symptoms, including diarrhea, abdominal cramps and pain, fever, rectal bleeding, loss of appetite, and weight loss. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. If your child has been diagnosed with pediatric Crohn’s disease, talk to your child’s doctor about treatment with REMICADE.

Individual results may vary. Talk to your child’s doctor to see if REMICADE is right for your child.REMICADE is for children (ages 6-17) with moderate to severe Crohns disease who haven’t responded well to other therapies.

REMICADE has been approved for the treatment of pediatric Crohns disease, based on clinical research. Children with pediatric Crohn’s disease may have to deal with things that other children don’t — painful and sometimes embarrassing physical symptoms, eating and treatment regimens, doctor visits, and even occasional hospital stays.

Pediatric Crohn’s can have an impact of all aspects of a child’s life, including school, relationships with friends and family, and self-esteem. But by learning how to cope with the disease, they can still lead an otherwise happy, productive life. If your child has been diagnosed with pediatric Crohn’s disease, it is only natural to feel overwhelmed and scared.

Since this is a chronic illness (meaning that it doesn’t go away) that can involve painful and sometimes embarrassing symptoms, you may have questions:
• How will pediatric Crohn’s disease affect my child’s health and well-being?  Will it affect me and the rest of my family as well?
• Will this disease change my child’s appearance or interfere with normal growth?
• Will my child have to go on a special diet?
• What treatment is available for pediatric Crohn’s disease?

Crohn’s disease can have physical, social, and emotional effects on a child.  Physical symptoms of pediatric Crohn’s disease include growth problems, frequent diarrhea, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, and weight loss.

Children and teenagers may find it especially hard to deal with a chronic disease like Crohn’s and its symptoms since they are already in the process of both physical and emotional development.
Because of the physical manifestations of pediatric Crohn’s, a child may face challenges both socially and emotionally. Below are some of the social and emotional challenges a child with pediatric Crohn’s may face.

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]]> http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com/pediatric-crohns-disease/feed/ 0 Living with Crohns Disease http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com/living-with-crohns-disease/ http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com/living-with-crohns-disease/#comments Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:53:47 +0000 Dr Joe Stevenson http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com/?p=144 Most people living with Crohns disease find that periods of remission (when they are free from symptoms) are longer and more frequent than periods of acute illness. This has never been truer than it is today, when doctors have large and growing arsenal of treatment options to prescribe.

The severity of Crohns disease can be measured objectively with indexes that chart symptoms, including:
•    The number of bowel movements per day
•    Appetite level
•    Fever
•    Number of days in a month when an individual must modify his or her work, home, or social schedule because of diarrhea, fatigue, fever, and other symptoms

Severity can also be measured subjectively, through a doctor’s assessment of an individual’s general state of being (such as whether he or she is angry, depressed, in pain, or embarrassed by needing to use the toilet frequently in social or business situations).There is considerable variation in how people with Crohns disease experience their illness.

An individual whose radiological examinations reveal an extent of disease that would seem to be debilitating may lead a relatively normal life, while a person with few objective signs of disease may find his or her symptoms totally debilitating, both physically and mentally.Although Crohns disease is a chronic (long-term) inflammatory bowel disease, it is not a constant disease.

That is, Crohns disease is characterized by acute flare-ups of symptoms followed by remissions that last for varying periods of time. Each individual’s pattern of symptoms is different, and conscientious doctors treat patients according to their reported symptoms rather than the results of laboratory tests or radiological exams. Diarrhea, pain, and fever-along with fatigue, chills, and possibly vomiting-come and go, sometimes in waves and sometimes in sharp bursts.

Flare-ups can occur out of the blue, following a viral illness such as a head cold, or during times of extreme personal, business, or social stress. People with Crohns disease may feel well and be free of symptoms for substantial spans of time when their disease is not active. Despite the need to take medication for long periods of time and occasional hospitalizations, most people with Crohns disease are able to hold jobs, raise families, and function successfully at home and in society.

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]]> http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com/living-with-crohns-disease/feed/ 0 Crohns Disease Statistics http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com/crohns-disease-statistics/ http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com/crohns-disease-statistics/#comments Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:51:14 +0000 Dr Joe Stevenson http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com/?p=110 Crohn’s Disease is a chronic inflammation of the digestive track.

The digestive track covers the following:
•    Mouth
•    Esophagus
•    Stomach
•    Small Intestine
•    Large Intestine
•    Rectum
•    Anus

Crohn’s can affect any of those areas, but most commonly attacks the ileum or the lower small intestine. The swelling of the affected area will cause pain and diarrhea.

Statistics
Crohn’s can be found in both men and women. It may run in families, 20% of people diagnosed with the disease have a blood relative with some form of inflammatory bowel disease. It is usually diagnosed between the ages of 20 to 30, although people of all ages can suffer from Crohn’s. People of Jewish heritage have a greater risk of developing the disease while people of African American heritage have less of a risk.

Prevalance of Crohn’s disease: 500,000 Americans

Prevalance Rate: approx 1 in 544 or 0.18% or 500,000 people in

Hospitalization statistics for Crohn’s disease: The following are statistics from various sources about hospitalizations and Crohn’s disease:
•    0.17% (21,634) of hospital consultant episodes were for crohn’s disease in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
•    82% of hospital consultant episodes for crohn’s disease required hospital admission in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
•    42% of hospital consultant episodes for crohn’s disease were for men in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
•    58% of hospital consultant episodes for crohn’s disease were for women in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
•    35% of hospital consultant episodes for crohn’s disease required emergency hospital admission in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
•    9.6 days was the mean length of stay in hospitals for crohn’s disease in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
•    6 days was the median length of stay in hospitals for crohn’s disease in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
•    39 was the mean age of patients hospitalised for crohn’s disease in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
•    78% of hospital consultant episodes for crohn’s disease occurred in 15-59 year olds in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
•    5% of hospital consultant episodes for crohn’s disease occurred in people over 75 in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
•    36% of hospital consultant episodes for crohn’s disease were single day episodes in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
•    0.18% (93,538) of hospital bed days were for crohn’s disease in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)

]]> http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com/crohns-disease-statistics/feed/ 0 Crohns Disease Medication http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com/crohns-disease-medication/ http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com/crohns-disease-medication/#comments Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:19:36 +0000 Dr Joe Stevenson http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com/?p=89 Treatment for Crohns disease depends on its location and severity, the presence of complications and the patient’s response to medications. The goal of treatment is to reduce the inflammation that triggers symptoms. Treatment relieves symptoms and results in long-term remission.

Treatment for Crohns disease usually involves medication and/or surgery.Drug therapies must be custom-designed for each patient. Finding which medications best alleviate the symptoms may take time. When a patient with Crohns disease undergoes surgery, it is important that the health care team (including the surgeon, anesthesiologist, and the primary treating physician) know which medications the patient is taking. Many patients with mild to moderate disease are treated with medications containing mesalamine.

These medications differ based on what parts of the bowel are treated. The use of mesalamine to treat Crohns disease, either to achieve or maintain remission, is sometimes controversial because not all studies have consistently shown that mesalamine is effective for Crohns disease. Mesalamine is usually well-tolerated and has no serious side effects. Patients may experience nausea, headache and diarrhea.

Some patients who have severe active disease or do not respond to mesalamine therapy may need corticosteroids such as prednisone to control inflammation and induce remission. These drugs are effective but have significant side effects, such as increased susceptibility to infection, mood swings, anxiety, depression, elevated blood pressure, glaucoma, cataracts and osteoporosis.

Physicians may use different strategies to administer these drugs in order to reduce side effects. Budesonide is a corticosteroid that is rapidly broken down by the liver, resulting in a much lower frequency of side effects. These medications are gradually reduced once remission is achieved — and mesalamine or a drug that suppresses the immune system is used to maintain remission.Antibiotics such as metronidazole are sometimes used to treat Crohns disease.

They are particularly helpful in patients with fistulas and are often combined with other medications. The use of metronidazole to treat active Crohns disease or to delay the recurrence of Crohn’s for the first two to three years after an ileum resection surgery is often controversial because not all studies have consistently shown that metronidazole and other antibiotics are effective in these patient groups.

Metronidazole can be effective in managing perineal Crohns disease (involving the pelvic area). Many patients require surgery because medical therapy does not control their symptoms or because complications such as blockage, abscess, perforation or bleeding into the intestines have developed

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]]> http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com/crohns-disease-medication/feed/ 0 Colitis and Crohns http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com/colitis-and-crohns/ http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com/colitis-and-crohns/#comments Sun, 07 Jun 2009 12:01:49 +0000 Dr Joe Stevenson http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com/?p=18 Inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, describes two similar yet distinct conditions called Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis. These diseases affect the digestive system and cause the intestinal tissue to become inflamed, form sores and bleed easily. Symptoms include abdominal pain, cramping, fatigue and diarrhea.Crohns disease can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract, from the mouth to the anus. Patches of inflammation occur, with healthy tissue between the diseased areas.

The inflammation can extend through every layer of affected bowel tissue. Crohns disease can not be cured by drugs or surgery, although either or both can help relieve symptoms.Ulcerative colitis affects only the inner layer of the colon, or large bowel. It always starts in the rectum and may extend as a continuous inflammation from there into the rest of the colon. Usually ulcerative colitis can be controlled with medication. The disease can be completely eliminated by surgically removing the colon, but afterward, waste material may have to be stored and expelled through an external appliance.

While ulcerative colitis causes inflammation only in the colon (colitis) and/or the rectum (proctitis), Crohns disease may cause inflammation in the colon, rectum, small intestine (jejunum and ileum), and, occasionally, even the stomach, mouth, and esophagus.The patterns of inflammation in Crohns disease are different from ulcerative colitis. Except in the most severe cases, the inflammation of ulcerative colitis tends to involve the superficial layers of the inner lining of the bowel. The inflammation also tends to be diffuse and uniform. (All of the lining in the affected segment of the intestine is inflamed.) Unlike ulcerative colitis, the inflammation of Crohns disease is concentrated in some areas more than others and involves layers of the bowel that are deeper than the superficial inner layers. Therefore, the affected segment(s) of bowel in Crohns disease often is studded with deeper ulcers with normal lining between these ulcers.

The most common disease that mimics the symptoms of Crohns disease is ulcerative colitis, as both are inflammatory bowel diseases that can affect the colon with similar symptoms. It is important to differentiate these diseases, since the course of the diseases and treatments may be different. In some cases, however, it may not be possible to tell the difference, in which case the disease is classified as indeterminate colitis.

Currently there is no cure for Crohns disease and remission may not be possible or prolonged if achieved; in cases where remission is possible, relapse can be prevented and symptoms controlled with medication, lifestyle changes and in some cases, surgery. Adequately controlled, Crohns disease may not significantly restrict daily living. Treatment for Crohns disease is only when symptoms are active and involve first treating the acute problem, then maintaining remission.

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