How does Crohn's disease start? Is it the same thing as ulcerative colitis? Do I have to change my diet permanently? If you or someone you know were recently diagnosed with Crohn's, you have a lot of questions. We talked to a top gastroenterologist to get the answers about this inflammatory bowel disease...
If you frequently suffer from chronic diarrhea, stomach cramping, nausea and fatigue, you may think you are just prone to tummy troubles. But you could have Crohn's disease, an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of the digestive or gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
"Crohn's disease can attack any part of the GI tract from the mouth to the anus, but usually affects the small intestine and/or colon," says Armen Simonian, M.D., head of gastroenterology at Capital Health Systems in Trenton, N.J., and chairman of the Department of Medicine.
"The disease can be mistaken for gut or parasitic infections, stomach flu, food poisoning, gluten allergy, irritable bowel syndrome, and even lupus or appendicitis," he says.
Also, because Crohn's is a systemic disease, it can manifest anywhere in the body, causing skin conditions, joint problems, eye diseases, arthritis and even gallstones, says Dr. Simonian.
Fortunately, with today's treatments, which include anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, corticosteroids, biologics, or immune suppressants and surgery, "some women have remissions that last years or the rest of their lives, although it's more common for remissions to last months or a few years," he says.
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