MedicineNet.com
About Us | Privacy Policy | Site Map
February 10, 2010
MedicineNet home Picture Slideshows Diseases and conditions Symptoms and signs Procedures and tests Medications Picture Image Collection MedTerms medical dictionary Pet Health
Font Size
A
A
A

Crohn's Disease (cont.)

How is Crohn's disease treated?

The symptoms and severity of Crohn's disease vary among patients. Patients with mild or no symptoms may not need treatment. Patients whose disease is in remission (where symptoms are absent) also may not need treatment.

There is no medication that can cure Crohn's disease. Patients with Crohn's disease typically will experience periods of relapse (worsening of inflammation) followed by periods of remission (reduced inflammation) lasting months to years. During relapses, symptoms of abdominal pain, diarrhea, and rectal bleeding worsen. During remissions, these symptoms improve. Remissions usually occur because of treatment with medications or surgery, but occasionally they occur spontaneously without any treatment.

Since there is no cure for Crohn's disease, the goals of treatment are to 1) induce remissions, 2) maintain remissions, 3) minimize side effects of treatment, and 4) improve the quality of life. Treatment of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis with medications is similar though not always identical.

Medications for treating Crohn's disease include 1) antiinflammatory agents such as 5-ASA compounds, corticosteroids, topical antibiotics, 2) immuno-modulators, 3) other medications.

Antiinflammatory medications

Antiinflammatory medications that decrease intestinal inflammation are analogous to arthritis medications that decrease joint inflammation. Different types of antiinflammatory medications used in the treatment of Crohn's disease are:

  • 5-ASA compounds such as sulfasalazine (Azulfidine) and mesalamine (Pentasa, Asacol, Dipentum, Colazal, Rowasa enema, Canasa suppository) that act via direct contact (topically) with the inflamed tissue in order to be effective.

  • Corticosteroids that act systemically (without the need for direct contact with the inflamed tissue) to decrease inflammation throughout the body. Systemic corticosteroids have important and predictable side effects if used long-term.

  • A new class of topical corticosteroid (for example, budesonide) that acts via direct contact (topically) with the inflamed tissue. This class of corticosteroids has fewer side effects than systemic corticosteroids which are absorbed into the body.

  • Antibiotics such as metronidazole (Flagyl) and ciprofloxacin (Cipro) that decrease inflammation by an unknown mechanism


Next: 5-ASA (mesalamine) oral medications »

Crohn's Disease - Symptoms at Onset of Disease

The MedicineNet physician editors ask:

The symptoms of crohn's disease can vary greatly from patient to patient. What were your symptoms at the onset of your disease?

Comment submissions for this question have ended. Patient Discussions FAQs
See 21 Viewer Comments

View Comments


Printer-Friendly Format  |  Email to a Friend


Suggested Reading by Our Doctors
MedicineNet Doctors
  • metronidazole, Flagyl - Explains the medication metronidazole (Flagyl) an antibiotic drug used against anaerobic bacterteria and certain parasites like giardia and ameba that can infect parts of the human body. Article includes descriptions, uses, drug interactions, and side effects.
  • Liver Blood Tests - Learn about liver blood tests used to detect liver damage disease such as fatty liver, cirrhosis, hepatitis, Tylenol liver damage, and more. This includes measuring the aminotransferases enzymes (AST and ALT levels)
  • Abdominal Pain - Learn about abdominal pain (pain in the stomach / abdomen) including causes, symptoms, how abdominal pain is diagnosed, and how abdominal pain is treated.

Latest Medical News


Women's Health

Find out what women really need.


Are you Depressed? Take the Quiz

Your Guide to Symptoms & Signs: Pinpoint Your Pain











  • More Resources
    on WebMD
  • More Resources
    on eMedicineHealth
  • More Resources
    on RxList

More Crohn's Resources on WebMD

Crohn's Disease Symptoms

The main symptoms of Crohn's disease include:

Abdominal pain. The pain often is described as cramping and intermittent, and the abdomen may be sore when touched.

Diarrhea. Some people may have diarrhea 10 to 20 times a day.

Loss of appetite.

Fever. In severe cases, fever or other symptoms that affect the entire body may develop.

Weight loss. Ongoing symptoms, such as diarrhea, can lead to weight loss.

Too few red blood cells (anemia). Some people with Crohn's disease develop anemia because of low iron levels caused by bloody stools or the intestinal inflammation itself.

Learn more about crohn's disease symptoms »

More Crohn's Resources on eMedicineHealth

Diet and Nutrition with Crohn Disease

Most of us know that good nutrition is essential to good health. Good nutrition is even more important to people whose health is compromised by a chronic disease. When you have Crohn disease, maintaining good nutrition can be a real challenge.

Several factors contribute to nutritional problems in people with Crohn disease. When inflamed, the small intestine is not able to do its main job, which is absorbing nutrients from food. The degree of this impairment, called malabsorption, depends on the extent of inflammation and damage in the intestine.

To make matters worse, the intestinal inflammation and pain of the disease reduce your appetite, so you probably do not eat enough to supply your nutritional needs. Diarrhea further depletes important nutrients. Compounding the problem is the fact that people with a chronic illness such as Crohn disease require more calories and certain other nutrients than healthy people. The most common nutritional problem in people with Crohn disease is insufficient calorie intake.

Learn more about diet and nutrition with crohn disease »

More Crohn's Resources on RxList

Humira (adalimumab)

This drug may be one drug prescribed for or symptoms of Crohn's Disease.

HUMIRA is indicated for reducing signs and symptoms and inducing and maintaining clinical remission in adult patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease who have had an inadequate response to conventional therapy. HUMIRA is indicated for reducing signs and symptoms and inducing clinical remission in these patients if they have also lost response to or are intolerant to infliximab.

Learn more about the drug Humira »



Health categories:

Slideshows | Diseases & Conditions | Symptoms & Signs | Procedures & Tests | Medications | Image Collection | Medical Dictionary | Pet Health

Popular health centers:

Allergies | Arthritis | Blood Pressure | Cancer | Chronic Pain | Cold & Flu | Diabetes | Digestion | Eyesight | Health & Living | Healthy Kids

Hearing & Ear | Heart | Infectious Disease | Men's Health | Mental Health | News & Views | Pregnancy | Sexual Health | Skin | Women's Health | More...

MedicineNet.com:

About Us | Newsletters | RSS Feeds | Privacy Policy | Site Map | WebMD® | Medscape® | eMedicine® | eMedicineHealth® | RxList®

This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. Click to verify. This site complies to the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:
verify here.

©1996-2010 MedicineNet, Inc. All rights reserved. Notices and Legal Disclaimer.
MedicineNet does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.