Understanding Crohn's Disease
Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD. It causes inflammation
of the digestive tract. Crohn's disease usually occurs in the small intestine (the
ileum) and/or the large intestine (the colon), but it can happen anywhere in the
digestive tract.
Typical symptoms of Crohn's disease include frequent diarrhea, abdominal pain,
fever, and sometimes rectal bleeding. It can also lead to
damage to your gastrointestinal (GI) tract that may require surgery.
When you have Crohn's disease, your immune system produces too much of a protein
called TNF-alpha (tumor necrosis factor-alpha). TNF-alpha attacks healthy cells in your GI tract. This triggers the inflammation that leads to
the painful symptoms of Crohn's disease.
About half a million people in the United States have been diagnosed with Crohn's
disease. Crohn's disease can affect anyone at any age, but it primarily affects
people between the ages of 15 and 35.
No one knows exactly what causes Crohn's disease. It may even differ from person
to person. For instance, the cause might be a kind of bacteria, something in your
intestines, or even your family history. In fact, scientists now believe it may
be a combination of all these factors.
But as you know, Crohn's disease can affect you differently from one day to the
next, which can put limits on the way you live your life. No one experiences Crohn's
disease in exactly the same way—the symptoms may be different for each person and
can change over time. Sometimes you may forget you even have Crohn's disease, and
other times your symptoms may be very severe.
For all of these reasons, it's important to have a treatment plan that works for you.
The right treatment for your symptoms will help you live your life the way you want
to live it.
Learn more about Crohn's disease: