digestive disorders center

What Are the Warning Signs of Crohn’s Disease?

Crohn's disease is an inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract. Warning signs can include fevers, fatigue, diarrhea, frequent bowel movements, abdominal pain/cramping, nausea, vomiting, cramping, loss of appetite, weight loss, gastrointestinal ulcers, rectal bleeding/blood in stool, and others.
Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract. Warning signs can include fevers, fatigue, diarrhea, frequent bowel movements, abdominal pain/cramping, nausea, vomiting, cramping, loss of appetite, weight loss, gastrointestinal ulcers, rectal bleeding/blood in stool, and others.

Symptoms of Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract that is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), may come on slowly and gradually and progressively worsen.

Early warning signs of Crohn’s disease may include: 

What Causes Crohn’s Disease?

It’s not currently known what causes Crohn’s disease, but there are risk factors that may contribute to developing the disease.

Risk factors of Crohn’s disease include:

  • Genetic factors
    • Runs in families
    • Between 5% and 20% of people with IBD have a first-degree relative (parent, child, or sibling) who has IBD
    • If both parents have IBD, the risk is significantly increased
    • Most common among people of eastern European descent
  • Environmental factors
    • Crohn’s disease is more common in:
      • Urban cities and towns
      • Developed countries
      • Northern climates

How Is Crohn’s Disease Diagnosed?

A Crohn’s disease diagnosis is given during a doctor visit in which the physician will perform a physical examination and run tests such as: 

What Is the Treatment for Crohn’s Disease?

Crohn’s disease treatment usually involves a combination of medication and diet changes. Sometimes surgery may be recommended.

Medications for Crohn’s disease include:

Diet changes for Crohn’s disease include:

  • Eating a healthy, balanced diet
  • Eating four to six small meals daily.
  • Restricting dairy intake in patients who are lactose-intolerant
  • During flares:
  • When in remission, eating a healthy, balanced diet that includes:
    • Low-fiber fruits
    • Lean protein
    • Refined grains
    • Vegetables that are fully cooked, seedless, skinless, and non-cruciferous
    • Oral nutritional supplements 
    • Homemade protein shakes
    • Water, broth, tomato juice, and rehydration solutions to stay hydrated

Surgery for Crohn’s disease includes:

  • Strictureplasty: repairs a narrowing (stricture) 
  • Colectomy, which is removal of the colon
  • Proctocolectomy, which removes the colon and rectum
  • Bowel resection to remove a damaged portion of the small or large intestine 
  • Fistula removal
  • Abscess drainage

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References
https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/

https://blog.mercy.com/crohns-disease-early-signs-prevention/