What causes Crohn’s Disease and what are its symptoms?

For those suffering from Crohn’s Disease, they experience an autoimmune response in which the body’s immune system kills healthy cells along with the germs and other bad cells it normally takes care of.

Here, the body attacks the lining of the digestive tract, causing inflammation, subsequently leading to sores and bleeding. Crohn’s Disease often leads to diarrhoea, stomach pain, and other conditions that affect the digestive tract.

This condition can also lead to colon cancer depending on how long you’ve suffered from it and whether your colon is affected. It is recommended that you subject yourself to frequent screening, which may include regular colonoscopies.

Symptoms include:

• Diarrhoea
• Belly pain
• Fatigue
• Weight loss
• Fever
• Mouth sores
• Skin rashes
• Joint pain
• Redness of the eye

How is Crohn’s Disease tested for and treated?

While there are a number of ways through which the condition is diagnosed, a colonoscopy is the primary method through which this is done.

In terms of treatment, while you can’t be completely cured of the Crohn’s Disease, medicine can help reduce your symptoms.

These work by reducing inflammation and the body’s immune response. Some treat symptoms when they are at their peak and other prevent symptoms from emerging again. Sometimes, antibiotics are also prescribed.

What does life after treatment look like?

For people with Crohn’s Disease, lifelong treatment is necessary. With the right medication, those with this condition can expect to live a mostly regular life.

This condition also does not affect a woman’s ability to conceive. For better prospects, however, it is recommended that you consult your doctor before you try to conceive. This is because certain tests may need to be conducted both before and after pregnancy and because your doctor may need to switch your medicine. Certain types of medication may be detrimental to the health of your child.