Posts Tagged ‘Remission’

Living with Crohns Disease

03.30.10

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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Excercise and Crohns Disease

02.14.10

Canadian researchers found that for people with mild Crohns disease, taking a walk a few times per week helped boost their well-being and quality of life.Crohns disease is a chronic disorder that causes inflammation throughout the digestive tract.

Symptoms, which include diarrhea, abdominal pain and rectal bleeding, tend to flare-up periodically, and then go into periods of remission.There has been some concern that exercise could exacerbate these problems because of its potential effects on functioning in the digestive tract. However, studies have not shown this to be true.For the new study, Victor Ng and colleagues at the University of Western Ontario recruited 32 adults with Crohns disease.

All were either in remission or were suffering only mild symptoms.For three months, half of the study participants walked for 30 minutes, three days per week. The rest maintained their usual lifestyle. At the beginning and end of the study, all patients completed questionnaires on their symptoms, overall well-being and quality of life.At the end of the trial, the researchers found, the exercise group reported improved symptoms and gave higher ratings to their quality of life. In contrast, symptoms worsened in the comparison group.

The findings are published in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine.

“Exercise benefits almost everyone and chronic disease patients are no exception,” study co-author Dr. Wanda Millard told Reuters Health.

Though some doctors have been hesitant to recommend exercise for Crohns disease, light exercise like moderate walking is unlikely to have significant effects on patients’ intestinal function, Millard noted.She pointed out that there are several professional athletes with Crohns disease.

That being said, however, Millard cautioned that this and other studies of exercise and Crohns disease have included only patients in remission or with mild symptoms.

“Patients with moderate or severe symptoms of their Crohns disease should not engage in an exercise program until their symptoms are better controlled,” she advised. Most people are successful with the basic formula of dieting and exercise. A smaller number need the addition of medication. A small percentage fail in all of those methods. So the big question is what should those who are overweight do to get back to an acceptable weight?
Unfortunately, there is no easy answer.

Those who have failed exercise, dieting and weight loss medication have a big problem to overcome. They most likely have problems exercising because of their weight or other health problems. It can likely help manage it, if for nothing else it can reduce stress.Depression is often an issue because of failing weight loss programs. Medications either have too many side effects or just are not working.

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Crohns Disease Prognosis

12.09.09

Crohn’s disease is a life-long illness. The severity of the disease can vary, and a patient can experience periods of time when the disease is not active and he or she is symptom free. However, the complications and risks of Crohn’s disease tend to increase over time. Well over 60% of all patients with Crohn’s disease will require surgery, and about half of these patients will require more than one operation over time. About 5-10% of all Crohn’s patients will die of their disease, primarily due to massive infection.

Endoscope
A medical instrument that can be passed into an area of the body (the bladder or intestine, for example) to allow examination of that area. The endoscope usually has a fiber-optic camera that allows a greatly magnified image to be shown on a television screen viewed by the operator. Many endoscopes also allow the operator to retrieve a small sample (biopsy) of the area being examined, to more closely view the tissue under a microscope.

Fistule
An abnormal channel that creates an open passageway between two structures that do not normally connect.

Gastrointestinal tract
The entire length of the digestive system, running from the stomach, through the small intestine, large intestine, and out the rectum and anus.

Immune system
The body system responsible for producing various cells and chemicals that fight infection by viruses, bacteria, fungi, and other foreign invaders. In autoimmune disease, these cells and chemicals turn against the body itself.

Inflammation
The result of the body’s attempts to fight off and wall off an area that is infected. Inflammation results in the classic signs of redness, heat, swelling, and loss of function.

Obstruction
A blockage.

Ulceration
A pitted area or break in the continuity of a surface such as skin or mucous membrane.

Some people have long periods of remission, sometimes years, when they are free of symptoms. However, the disease usually recurs at various times over a person’s lifetime. This changing pattern of the disease means one cannot always tell when a treatment has helped. Predicting when a remission may occur or when symptoms will return is not possible.)

People with Crohn’s 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 Crohn’s disease are able to hold jobs, raise families, and function successfully at home and in society

Crohns Disease Prognosis

08.05.09

Crohns disease is a life-long illness. The severity of the disease can vary, and a patient can experience periods of time when the disease is not active and he or she is symptom free. However, the complications and risks of Crohns disease tend to increase over time. Well over 60% of all patients with Crohns disease will require surgery, and about half of these patients will require more than one operation over time. About 5-10% of all Crohn’s patients will die of their disease, primarily due to massive infection.

Endoscope
A medical instrument that can be passed into an area of the body (the bladder or intestine, for example) to allow examination of that area. The endoscope usually has a fiber-optic camera that allows a greatly magnified image to be shown on a television screen viewed by the operator. Many endoscopes also allow the operator to retrieve a small sample (biopsy) of the area being examined, to more closely view the tissue under a microscope.

Fistule
An abnormal channel that creates an open passageway between two structures that do not normally connect.

Gastrointestinal tract
The entire length of the digestive system, running from the stomach, through the small intestine, large intestine, and out the rectum and anus.

Immune system
The body system responsible for producing various cells and chemicals that fight infection by viruses, bacteria, fungi, and other foreign invaders. In autoimmune disease, these cells and chemicals turn against the body itself.

Inflammation
The result of the body’s attempts to fight off and wall off an area that is infected. Inflammation results in the classic signs of redness, heat, swelling, and loss of function.

Obstruction
A blockage.

Ulceration
A pitted area or break in the continuity of a surface such as skin or mucous membrane.

Some people have long periods of remission, sometimes years, when they are free of symptoms. However, the disease usually recurs at various times over a person’s lifetime. This changing pattern of the disease means one cannot always tell when a treatment has helped. Predicting when a remission may occur or when symptoms will return is not possible.)

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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