crohns disease Essay - 486 Words

Crohns Disease Crohn s disease is a bowel disease characterized by inflammation of the different layers of the gastrointestinal tract. It can be distinguished from ulcerative colitis (a similar disease) in that Crohn s affects any part of the gut, whereas ulcerative colitis only affects the innermost layer of the colon and rectum. About 15% of Crohn s patients have severe fistulating disease. In this form, ulcer-like channels develop from the bowel wall and burrow all the way to the skin surface. Eventually, 75% of these patients require surgery. It is estimated that approximately one million Americans suffer from Crohns and ulcerative colitis. The total cost for Crohns disease was $43.1 million in 1994. While drug therapy accounted†¦show more content†¦s symptoms, supported by x-rays and biopsies of the small and large intestine. Tumor necrosis factor alpha, TNFa, a protein released when the immune system is activated, is a major catalyst in the inflammatory process and is believed to play a major role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Intestinal obstruction secondary to active inflammation is the most common complication. Patients with colonic involvement are at risk for developing colon cancer. Subsets of patients develop fistulas that are usually managed by medication or parental nutrition, but may require surgery. Nutritional and vitamin deficiencies are common, resulting from inadequate diet, intestinal loss of protein, or malabsorption. Systemic complications may include arthritis, skin lesions, anemia, liver and biliary disease, inflammation of the eyes or mouth, and bleeding disorders. Some of these problems resolve during treatment of the disease, but some may be treated separately. Consultations with dietitians, wound care specialists, or pain management clinicians and physiological support clinicians are not uncommon. There is no cure for Crohns disease. The goals of therapy aim to control inflammation, correct nutritional deficiencies, and relieve symptoms. This involves medications, nutritional supplements, surgery, or any combination of these factors. Medications used in treating Crohns disease include salicylates (sulfasalazine, Asacol ®, Dipentum ®, and Pentasa ®),Show MoreRelatedCrohn s Disease And Disease3608 Words   |  15 PagesCROHN’S DISEASE Crohn’s Disease is a chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal (â€Å"GI†) tract that can occur anywhere along the alimentary canal from the mouth to the anus. It is the second most common form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (â€Å"IBD†) after Ulcerative Colitis and can be hard to distinguish from it due to the overlapping signs and symptoms. They are not, however, the same. With Crohn’s Disease the inflammation most often occurs in the small intestine at the end of the ileum and continuesRead MoreLiving With Crohn s Disease1126 Words   |  5 PagesLiving with Crohn’s Disease Sharon is a 17 year old young women, her mother noticed that Sharon had lost a significant amount of weight, and she looked pale and had dark circles under her eyes. Sharon was complaining of severe diarrhea, stomach cramps, and after battling this for weeks she was extremely tired. Her doctor conducted a standard physical exam, and interviewed Sharon about her general health, diet, family history, and environment. Her doctor performed laboratory tests of blood and stoolRead MoreWomen With Crohn s Disease1564 Words   |  7 Pagesup for their obvious suffering, or because you have no idea what else to say. I have done this before, and I’m sure I’ll do it again, but sometimes those compliments can be harmful. 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Within this essay, I will discuss the etiology and pathophysiology of Crohn’s disease, the evidence- based- practice treatment of Crohn’s and how these medications work in reducing the inflammatory process. IRead MoreInformative Speech Crohn s Disease761 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿Informative Speech (Crohn’s Disease) General Purpose: To inform the audience about what Crohn’s Disease Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about Crohn’s Disease and give them a better understanding of what it is. Introduction I was a 14 year old freshman in high school when I started getting sick. I was always a pretty healthy kid who had perfect attendance records UNTIL that year. The extreme fatigue and weight-loss was the main sign to my mom that something was seriously wrong. AroundRead MoreSymptoms And Treatment Of Crohn s Disease1306 Words   |  6 PagesCrohn’s disease had a long way to travel before it was given its name. In 1913, Dr. Dalzid was the first to recognize that there was a disease that was different from intestinal tuberculosis (Dr. Crohn, 2009-2015). He noticed this difference, and had a hypothesis that this different disease could be caused by a different bacteria. His scientific guess was that this different disease was caused by mycobacterium (Dr. Crohn, 2009-2015). Yet, all of the test done on the tissue that was taken from patientsRead MoreSymptoms And Treatment Of Crohn s Disease1836 Words   |  8 Pagesto someone with Crohn’s Disease. â€Å"But You Look So Good† I understand not knowing what to say when someone you care about is sick, and it makes sense to grab for something nice to say about that person when you are at a loss. You want to give them a compliment to make up for their obvious suffering, or because you have no idea what else to say. I have done this before, and I’m sure I’ll do it again, but sometimes those compliments can be harmful. Women with Crohn’s Disease have been found in a recentRead MoreCrohn s Disease ( Cd )1736 Words   |  7 PagesCrohn’s disease (CD) is a life-long, chronic, idiopathic inflammatory condition of the intestines that is characterized by frequent symptomatic relapse and remission. It involves inflammation and ulceration of various regions of the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract) lining, which often extends deep into the layers of the affected areas. The associated inflammation and ulceration of the disease affects various segments of the intestines with unaffected bowel occuring between the diseased areas. CD