It is important to recognize changes in your intestinal health at any age. Seeking immediate treatment is strongly advised for someone experiencing signs and symptoms of irritable bowel disease, or IBD. Doctors recommend educating yourself on Crohn’s disease by making an appointment with a gastroenterologist, especially if you are pregnant.
Future patient, meet IBD:
Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease also referred to as IBD. This disease causes the inflammation of the digestive tract. Signs of Crohn’s are severe diarrhea, abdominal pain, fatigue, rapid weight loss, and malnutrition.
The inflammation caused by Crohn’s disease does not affect just one part of the digestive tract in every person. It may affect different parts of the tract for different patients. Crohn’s often spreads into deep layers of affected bowel tissue.
This disease can potentially be debilitating and bring on life-threatening complications, so seek medical attention from a gastroenterologist if any signs sound familiar. In some cases of Crohn’s disease, only the ileum, the last segment of the small intestine, is affected. Other patients may have the disease present only in the colon, part of the large intestine. Take note, these two sections of the intestines are the most commonly affected areas.
Be informed of the bad and the ugly:
Not all symptoms are severe, so it is best to be aware of the more mild symptoms. Sometimes, symptoms may gradually develop. Other times, they come on quite suddenly, so stay in tune with how your body is feeling or new changes.
The symptoms of Crohn’s disease are fatigue, fever, cramping, and reduced appetite. More intense symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloody stool, mouth sores, and weight-loss. With more of the severe cases of Crohn’s disease, people experience inflammation of skin, eyes, joints, liver, or bile ducts. For children, delayed sexual development and growth may occur.
The cause of Crohn’s disease:
While doctors once believed diet and stress caused Crohn’s disease, they now know that these two factors only aggravate the disease but do not cause Crohn’s. As for the exact cause for Crohn’s disease, this remains unknown.
Crohn’s complications:
The disease affects the thickness of the intestinal wall according to Mayo Clinic which can scar and narrow the intestine. Thus, the digestive contents can become blocked. This is referred to as bowel obstruction. Chronic inflammation caused by Crohn’s can lead to open sores in the digestive tract, anus, and in the genital area. A fistula is an abnormal connection between different body parts. These fistulas can be caused by ulcers extending through the intestinal wall.
Anal fissures and are tears in the tissue near the anus where infections commonly occur. People usually notice anal fissures from experiencing painful bowel movements. These fissures can lead to a perianal fistula which is why you should be seen by a doctor immediately after feeling symptoms.
Crohn’s disease may also cause skin disorders, osteoporosis, arthritis, colon cancer, and malnutrition along with many other complications. Take warning signs serious, and schedule an appointment with a gastroenterologist such as Gastroenterology Consultants of Central Florida to avoid abhorrent health issues before it’s too late.
Critical to control Crohn’s:
Lynne Peeples informed the public this month that it is imperative to seek medical attention for IBD during pregnancy. She wrote, “Women with inflammatory bowel disease may be at risk for a reduced quality of life, increased symptoms, and potentially difficult pregnancies if they conceive while their Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis is uncontrolled, new research shows.”
According to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, about 1.6 million Americans have IBD, and most are diagnosed between ages 15 to 35. Now it is known that women may have difficulty becoming pregnant or pregnancies ending in miscarriage if they have Crohn’s disease, so mention this to your obstetrician as soon as you become pregnant.
Dr. Huang and colleagues presented research this year which indicates pregnant women have increased risks for IBD flares. This may lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, or preterm labor. However, research shows women can have unaffected pregnancies. If you have been diagnosed with IBD and are pregnant, it may be controlled by a doctor allowing you to have a perfectly normal, safe pregnancy.
Active disease is what affects the quality of life for pregnant women. Again, this is a perfect example as to why Crohn’s disease must be monitored and controlled by a gastroenterologist. Peeples stressed that it is crucial to have a conversation with your doctor about medication and health consequences of noncompliance.
Thank you for reading this week’s blog. Check back in next week for more valuable information. Schedule an appointed today for monitoring your health and improving your quality of life with Crohn’s disease!
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