Crohn's Disease
What is Crohn's disease?
Crohn's disease causes inflammation in the small
intestine. Crohn's disease usually occurs in the lower part of the small
intestine, called the ileum, but it can
affect any part of the digestive tract, from the mouth to the anus. The inflammation
extends deep into the lining of the affected organ. The inflammation can cause
pain and can make the intestines empty frequently, resulting in diarrhea.
Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the general name for diseases that cause inflammation in the
intestines. Crohn's disease can be difficult to diagnose because its symptoms
are similar to other intestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome and
to another type of IBD called ulcerative colitis. Ulcerative colitis causes inflammation and ulcers in the top
layer of the lining of the large intestine.
Crohn's disease affects men and women equally and seems
to run in some families. About 20 percent of people with Crohn's disease have a
blood relative
with some form of IBD, most often a brother or sister and sometimes a parent or
child.
Crohn's disease may also be called ileitis or enteritis.
What causes Crohn's disease?
Theories about what causes Crohn's disease
abound, but none has been proven. The most popular theory is that the body's
immune system reacts to a virus or a bacterium by causing ongoing inflammation
in the intestine.
People with Crohn's disease tend to have abnormalities of
the immune system,
but doctors do not know whether these abnormalities are a cause or result of the
disease. Crohn's disease is not caused by emotional distress.
Next: What are the symptoms of Crohn's disease? »
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