03/29/2023 | News release | Distributed by Public on 03/29/2023 08:11
Crohn's disease is an autoimmune disease that leads to inflammation in the digestive system. It's one of a group of conditions called inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). "When you have this chronic condition, your body's immune system mistakenly attacks your gastrointestinal (GI) tract, causing inflammation," says Jessica Jou, M.D., a gastroenterologist at Henry Ford Health.
The inflammation can occur anywhere in the digestive system, but most often affects the small intestine and the large intestine (which includes the colon, rectum and anus).
Crohn's affects both men and women and is slightly more common in Caucasians and Jewish people of Eastern European descent. "We most commonly diagnose Crohn's in patients in their 20s and 30s," says Dr. Jou, although it's possible for the condition to occur at any age.
"By the time people come to their doctor, they've often been dealing with a variety of GI issues for a while," says Dr. Jou. "The symptoms may come and go, getting better and then worse again over time." When symptoms are active, it's called a flare. When it's well treated, and symptoms go away, it's called remission.
Symptoms depend on the portion of the GI tract that's affected. Some common symptoms of Crohn's disease include:
People with Crohn's may also experience symptoms that are unrelated to the digestive tract. These can include:
As with many autoimmune diseases, Crohn's can be tricky to diagnose. The typical symptoms are common to many other GI conditions. And because symptoms may come and go, it's easy to write them off as related to something you ate, a stomach bug or just stress.
"I really emphasize to my patients that they didn't do anything to cause this disease, and it's not their fault," says Dr. Jou. "Your diet or your stress levels can certainly affect your symptoms, but they don't cause you to have the disease."
In order to accurately diagnose Crohn's disease, your doctor will need to do a variety of assessments and testing.
Steps in the diagnosing process may include:
Crohn's disease is a chronic condition, which means there is no cure. But that doesn't mean you are doomed to constant GI symptoms. "There are good options for managing symptoms and controlling the inflammation that causes them," says Dr. Jou. "When Crohn's is under control, people live very normal lives-working, going on vacation, going out with friends."
Treatment options for Crohn's can include:
To find a gastroenterologist at Henry Ford, visit henryford.com/gastro or call 1-800-436-7936.