Immunosuppresants Help Combat Crohn's Disease
Crohn's disease is a relatively rare condition which can be hereditary. It is an autoimmune disorder with
symptoms such as pain in the stomach and cramps.
Crohn's disease is a progressive disease of the gastro-intestinal tract that is considered an autoimmune disorder. It’s
related to ulcerative colitis in that they both involve heavy inflammation of the GI tract, but where ulcerative colitis always targets the
colon, Crohn’s disease can target any part of the GI tract from the mouth to the anus. Typically, Crohn’s disease only affects areas of the
large intestine. Because Crohn’s disease is most commonly associated with the large intestine, the most common symptoms
are diahrea or constipation, and abdominal pain and cramping.
Like all autoimmune disorders, Crohn’s disease is a pretty serious condition, and there isn’t really any cure for it.
There are some new treatments available, but nothing that will cure it outright. Some people seem to get occassionaly flare ups from their
Crohn’s disease, but more or less live normal lives. Others suffer from chronic flare ups their entire lives, which can sometimes lead to
more serious complications.
So it’s not really the best thing to have, but it isn’t always severe. One of my good friends in college had Crohn’s disease
but you wouldn’t ever know it. He’d apparently had a couple of flare-ups in high school, but hasn’t had one since and he’s almost 30
now.
The medications you take if you are having a flare up are basically immunosuppressant sorts of drugs and of course steroids, neither of which
aren’t really all that pleasant to take. They both have a lot of side effects, and the immunosupressants boost your chances of getting some
kind of opportunistic infection.
Crohn’s disease isn’t at all contagious, and it isn’t really well understood what causes it. The immune system is a very complicated
thing, and we have only a very limited understanding of it. Genetics, stress, and viruses are all commonly thought to cause autoimmune
disorders like Crohn’s disease, but there isn’t any really strong connections to anything. Crohn’s disease does seem to
run in families (my friend’s dad also had it) so there probably is a genetic component to it.
If you think you may have Crohn’s disease, you probably don’t. First of all it’s a pretty rare condition, and there are
literally hundreds of other diseases out there with the same types of symptoms. The kind of pain and diarrhrea you get with
Crohn’s is a lot more severe that the normal kind, so don’t freak out if you are experiencing some mild discomfort. If you
want to know more about it, ask your doctor!
School Of Professional
Psychology
School Of Professional Pyschology News - Crohn's Disease :
Resource Box:
|
Crohn's Disease -
Information from the National Institutes of Health on Crohn's disease, symptoms and treatment.
NACC - This UK charity provides
information and support to those with colitis or Crohn's disease.
|
|
School Of Professional
Psychology
|
|