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Living with Crohn’s Disease
By Lois Fordham
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“Living with Crohn’s Disease” by Lois Fordham
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Disclaimer
The advice contained in this material might not be suitable for
everyone. The author provided the information only as a broad
overview by a lay person about an important subject. The author
used information from sources believed to be reliable and from his
own personal experience, but he neither implies nor intends any
guarantee of accuracy. The results you obtain will depend largely on
your own efforts and other factors beyond the knowledge and
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or outcome is promised or guaranteed in any way. New theories and
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apply the latest technical information and review their own
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“Living with Crohn’s Disease” by Lois Fordham
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About the Author
Lois Fordham is the pen-name of a person whose life has been
affected by Crohn’s Disease.
She has enjoyed writing fiction with some success for several years
and never thought of writing non-fiction.
But she found that people who had this condition or whose
immediate families included sufferers were often unable to discuss
their situation or get answers to common questions about the
disease.
Lois hopes that her ebook, though only an informed lay-person’s
opinion, will help people that have or care for those with Crohn’s
Disease.
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“Living with Crohn’s Disease” by Lois Fordham
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Please Read This First ........................................................................ 2
About the Author ................................................................................. 4
TABLE OF CONTENTS........................................................................ 5
Crohn’s Disease - An Overview ......................................................... 8
What is Crohn’s Disease? ................................................................ 11
What Happens with Inflammation of The Bowels? ............................................ 11
Who Named Crohn's Disease?......................................................... 14
What Causes Crohn's Disease?....................................................... 15
Signs and Symptoms of Crohn’s Disease....................................... 17
Signs and Symptoms of Crohn’s Disease .......................................................... 17
Who Gets Crohn’s Disease? ............................................................ 20
Common Complications of Crohn's Disease .................................. 21
Common Crohn’s Disease Complications.......................................................... 21
Types of Crohn’s Disease................................................................. 24
Crohn’s Disease in Children............................................................. 26
Treatments for Crohn’s Disease in Children ...................................................... 28
Crohn’s Disease in the Elderly......................................................... 29
Crohn’s Disease and Women ........................................................... 30
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Effect of Crohn’s Disease on Reproductive Abilities of Women...................... 30
How is Crohn’s Disease Diagnosed? .............................................. 32
What to Expect During Testing for Crohn’s Disease...................... 36
How is Crohn’s Disease Treated?.................................................... 38
Surgery for Crohn's Disease ............................................................ 44
Medication for Crohn's Disease ....................................................... 48
Cure Research for Crohn's Disease ................................................ 52
Complementary and Alternative Treatments for Crohn’s Disease 54
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Living with Crohn's Disease............................................................. 56
Diet and Nutrition for Crohn's Disease............................................ 58
Nutritional Requirements of Crohn’s Disease.................................................... 58
Important Foods That You Should Include......................................................... 59
Essential Dietary Tips for Crohn’s Disease Patients......................................... 60
Travel Tips for People with Crohn's Disease .................................. 63
Emotional Factors and Coping with Crohn's Disease.................... 66
Coping with Stress and Emotional Factors ........................................................ 66
Simple Treatments and Lifestyle Changes ..................................... 69
Management of Crohn’s Disease ..................................................... 72
Support Groups for Crohn's Disease .............................................. 74
Crohn’s Disease FAQ........................................................................ 75
Glossary of Crohn's Disease Medical Terms .................................. 78
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Part-I: Introduction
Crohn’s Disease - An Overview
Crohn’s disease is an inflammation of the
gastrointestinal tract.
It is a type of bowel disease, although it
can erupt anywhere between the mouth
and the anus. Crohn’s disease affects the
digestive system of the body. However,
most incidences of the disease manifest
in the lower part of the small intestine or
the early part of the large intestine.
There can be perfectly normal parts of
the bowel between severely affected parts.
Crohn’s disease normally affects people between the ages of fifteen
and thirty years with some instances among people in their sixties
and seventies. It does not affect young children.
This disease affects around 400,000 and 600,000 people in North
America. Estimates suggest that around 27 to 48 people in every
100,000 are affected by Crohn’s disease in Northern Europe. The
incidence of Crohn’s disease is higher in women than in men. This is
not an infectious disease.
Crohn’s disease gets its name from an American gastroenterologist
surgeon, Burrill Bernard Crohn. Crohn, with two of his colleagues,
described the disease in 1932. Together, they explained the
presence of the disease in specific patients with inflammation of
terminal ileum. A Polish surgeon, Antoni Lesniowski, had also
described the disease as early as 1904.
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There is no specific cause of Crohn’s disease. It could have a genetic
cause. Siblings and relatives of people with Crohn’s disease have a
higher than average chance of suffering from the disease at some
time.
Most gastroenterologists are of the opinion that Crohn’s disease
could be due to overreaction of the body’s immune system to any
specific virus or bacteria. Once you develop Crohn’s disease, it
becomes your lifelong companion, although with periods of
remission.
Doctors hint at various environmental factors and dietary habits that
could be the main cause for Crohn’s disease. Smoking is an inherent
risk factor. Other than that, foods rich in sugar, fats, and refined
products could cause this disease. High intake of shellfish with low
intake of fruits, potassium, water, magnesium and vitamin C-rich
products could encourage Crohn’s disease. Regular intake of oral
contraceptives might also be a factor with this disease.
Common symptoms of Crohn’s disease includes abdominal pain,
diarrhea, weight loss, loss of appetite, rectal bleeding and, in some
cases, fever.
Additionally, it causes mouth ulcers, eye inflammation, joint pains,
and inflammation or ulcer-like eruptions on the skin.
In severe cases, Crohn’s disease could cause inflammation of
neighboring body parts like the other bowels, vagina or bladder. It
could also cause infections of the urinary tract. Sometimes, it
causes bowel cancer.
Crohn’s disease could also cause osteoporosis, arthritis, and a
thinning of bones leading to bone fractures.
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Perianal discomfort with itchiness and inflammation around the anus
is common. Fecal incontinence with twenty to thirty bouts of fecal
discharge, sometimes even in the middle of night, is common with
Crohn’s disease. Teenagers developing this disease could exhibit
retarded growth.
Symptoms of Crohn’s disease are very similar to those of ulcerative
colitis. Both diseases cause inflammation of the bowels. However, a
clear distinction in the diagnosis of the disease is essential to decide
a definite pattern of treatment.
Doctors can diagnose the presence of Crohn’s disease after studies
of various tests. These tests include blood tests, stool tests, X-rays,
gastroscopy, colonoscopy, CT, ultrasound, and MRI scans.
There is no single cure for Crohn’s disease. You can take drugs or
medications, undergo surgery, and follow a specific dietary routine
to combat the disease. All medications and surgeries can only
reduce the effects of this disease. Nothing can completely clear your
system of Crohn’s disease at this time.
However, it is possible to live a full life with Crohn’s disease. It does
not cripple you in any way. You can continue with the normal
routines of your life. You only need to follow a strict diet regimen
and take regular medications. There can be flare-ups of Crohn’s
disease. Since these are most unpredictable, it is best to stay within
reach of medical help.
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Part-II: Understanding Crohn’s Disease
What is Crohn’s Disease?
Crohn’s disease is a specific disorder of the digestive tract. It
affects the gastrointestinal tract. Although Crohn’s disease can
affect any part of the intestine, it mostly affects the ileum or the
lower part of the small intestine. Inflammation causes swelling of
the ileum which, in turn, causes immense pain and discomfort.
You feel increasing intensity and frequency to empty your
intestines. This causes a diarrhea-like situation. This disease is the
same as enteritis or ileitis.
Inflammation of the bowel can occur at any age. However, this
mostly starts in the teens and extends into adulthood. Crohn’s
disease can lead to various other diseases like colon cancer,
arthritis, kidney stones, gallstones and skin ailments like eruptions
and eczemas.
What Happens with Inflammation of The Bowels?
Crohn’s disease can affect any part of the bowel, although it
primarily affects the lower part of the small intestine and the upper
part of the large intestine. Inflammation causes the formation of
various muscular layers in-between.
Additionally, this inflammation causes swelling of the mesentery, a
fan-shaped tissue containing lymph glands and intestinal blood
vessels. The mesentery connects the small intestine to the back
abdominal wall. It may cause total dysfunction of the intestinal
tract.
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Inflammation of the in