Physiology Of Crohn's Disease

Introduction Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract that belongs to a group of conditions known as Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD). Crohn’s disease is defined as a transmural inflammation with skip lesions that can affect the gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus (Mulder, Noble, Justinich, & Duffin, 2013). In Crohn’s disease the immune system attacks the gastrointestinal system and can cause the digestive tract to be chronically inflamed. Crohn’s disease has a variety of symptoms that include abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, fever, and weight loss. Crohn’s disease can also affect the joints, skin, eyes, and cause kidney stones, gallstones and other ailments (Warner & Barto, 2007). Physiology of Crohn’s disease Crohn’s disease can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract, from the mouth to the anus, but it most commonly affects the end of the small bowel (the ileum) and the beginning of the colon. It can simultaneously involve different areas of the gastrointestinal tract with alternating diseased segments with normal segments. Crohn’s disease involves the full thickness of the bowel wall and can be complicated by fistulas and abscesses. Crohn’s disease may also have granuloma cells which is called granulomatous enteritis or granulomatous colitis (Warner & Barto, 2007). The cause of Crohn’s disease is unknown, but researchers believe it is the result of an abnormal reaction by the body’s immune system. Normally, the immune system protects people from infection by identifying and destroying bacteria, viruses, or other potentially harmful foreign substances. Researchers believe that in Crohn’s disease the immune system attacks bacteria, foods, and other substances... ... middle of paper ... ...ging Crohn's disease. It's particularly useful for evaluating a fistula around the anal area (pelvic MRI) or the small intestine (MRI enterography) (NDDIC, n.d.). If the patient has signs and symptoms that suggest Crohn's disease but other diagnostic tests are negative, their doctor may perform capsule endoscopy. The camera takes pictures are checked for signs of Crohn's disease. An endoscopy with biopsy is often still needed to confirm the diagnosis of Crohn's disease and to exclude other causes of their symptoms (NDDIC, n.d.). A barium enema is often down to evaluate their large intestine with an X-ray. The barium dye coats the lining of the bowel, creating a silhouette of their rectum, colon and a portion of their small intestine that's visible on an X-ray. This test is rarely done anymore because of the availability of colonoscopy and CT scanning (NDDIC, n.d.).