Crohn’s Disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that can cause lower abdominal pain.

Crohn’s disease is also known as ileitis or regional enteritis. Crohn’s usually involves inflammation of any part of the digestive tract from the mouth to the anus. It mostly affects young adults under the age of 40 in men and women. In addition of cramping or lower abdominal pain there may be other symptoms such as lack of appetite, chronic and sometimes debilitating diarrhea, low-grade fever, and weight loss.

Skin rashes and joint pain also may occur occasionally as well as fissures (cracks) and holes (fistulas) may form around the anus and rectum, which may lead to some intestinal bleeding.

Usually a doctor diagnoses Crohn’s Disease by 2 types of exams: colonoscopy, a visual inspection of the colon with the aid of a flexible tube inserted through the rectum and a barrium X-ray of the digestive tract.

Treatment of Crohn’s Disease depends on specific symptoms and extension of this medical condition. The treatment may range from simple antidiarrheal pills to different forms of surgery, including colostomy. In some cases dietary changes and anti inflammatory medications are recommended. If these treatment options do not help; the symptoms may respond to the drug Remicade (infliximab). This medicine was recently approved by the FDA for the short-term treatment of moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease, for those who do not respond to standard therapies, as well as for the treatment of open, draining fistulas.

This entry was filed under Diseases and Conditions.