2. Dr. Burril B. Crohn (1884-
1983)
Dr. Crohn was the main person to discover the
disease now known as Crohn's Disease. He was born
and raised in New York where he attended City College
and Columbia University's College of Physicians and
Surgeons. Later he was named Chief of Mount Sinai's
Gastroenterology Clinic. He was best remembered for
his discovery of regional ileitis (Crohn's Disease) in 1932
along with two other surgeons, Leon Ginzburg and
Gordon Oppenheimer.
3. What in the World is Crohn's
Disease?
Crohn's Disease is an IBD (Inflammatory
Bowel Disease). It is a chronic inflammatory
condition of the gastrointestinal tract. Crohn's
Disease is similar to another IBD called
Ulcerative Colitis. The main difference is that
Crohn's Disease can be inflammation of
almost any part of the Gastrointestinal Tract
but Ulcerative Colitis only affects the colon.
Diagram of a colon
4. The Gastrointestinal Tract
Also known as the GI Tract, Digestive Tract,
alimentary canal, or the gut. It is a system of organs that
take in food, digest it to extract energy and nutrients and
then release excess waste. The inflammation of Crohn's
Disease can affect anywhere in the GI Tract from the
Esophagus to the rectum.
This is a diagram of the
GI Tract including each
part from the mouth to
the anus.
5. SYMPTOMS:
Symptoms vary with Crohn's Disease because they mainly
depend on what part of the GI Tract is being affected.
• Crampy abdominal (belly area) pain
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Loss of Appetite
• Weight Loss
• Eye Inflammation
• Joint pain
• Mouth Ulcers
• Skin Lumps or sores
• Swollen Gums
6. Testing For Crohn's
There are many tests for Crohn's Disease. Some of the
are:
• Barium Enema (special x-ray of the large intestine)
• Upper GI series ( x-ray of the small intestine, stomach,
and esophagus)
• Colonoscopy (internal examination of the colon)
• Computed Tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan Imaging test
that uses powerful magnets and radio waves to create
pictures of the inside of the belly area.
7. Treatment:
There is no cure for Crohn's Disease, unfortunately. It
is made up of periods of time when you feel fine and
then there are other times where the symptoms flare up.
Even though there isn't a cure yet, there are many
medications that can suppress symptoms and flare ups
to help cope with the disease. Along with medication
diet, nutrition, and stress management can help in
dealing with Crohn's. With Crohn's Disease you are also
at more of a risk of colon cancer than the average
person.
8. Diet & Nutrition
A well balanced and healthy diet is good for anyone but
can also help to reduce digestive symptoms in Crohn's
Disease. Some tips are:
• Eat small amounts of food periodically during the day
• Drink lots of water
• Avoid greasy and fatty foods (ex: butter, margarine,
heavy cream)
• Limit foods that you know cause flare ups (ex: some
people have a low tolerance to any dairy products so
they will try having foods such as low-lactose cheese)
9. Medications
There are a few kinds of medications that can be taken
with Crohn's disease to suppress symptoms. They fall
into the categories of:
• Cortisone or Steroids - reduce inflammation
• Immune system suppressors - blocks immune reaction
which causes inflammation
• Antibiotics - reduce bacteria overgrowth in the small
intestine
10. STRESS
Unhealthy amounts of stress in the daily life can cause
flare ups to become more persistent and potent. Things
such as school, work, moving, loss of a loved one etc.
can play big parts in whether you will worsen the
digestive problem. Doctors offer programs for Crohn's
patients that can help them manage their disease and
life without harming themselves.
11. Current Research
Today there are a few organizations that work to draw
attention to the disease and hope to raise money to find
a cure. Some of these organizations are:
• Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America
• NIDDK
• Crohn's Disease Foundation
All of these organizations work with current patients and
run many tests that may one day lead to a cure, for now
they mainly focus on creating more effective and
specialized medication to fight Crohn's Disease.
12. Why Did I Research
This?
As you know, I researched Crohn's Disease. The reason
why I chose this is because to me Crohn's Disease can
really affect people. My mom has had Crohn's Disease
for over 6 years. When she was diagnosed it was pretty
intense with all the doctors and medications we had to
get. A lot of things had to change in our lives, even the
food we ate! I read up on it awhile back and learned that
there was a 75% chance that the first female child in the
family would have Crohn's as well. That would be me so
I figured it can't hurt to know as much about it as I can in
case I do get it.
13. SOURCES:
• Gustave L. Janet W., L. (2010). Biography of burril b. crohn. Retrieved
from
http://library.mssm.edu/services/archives/archives_collections/crohn.shtml
• George F., L. (2012, 10 29). Crohn's disease. Retrieved from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001295/
• NIDDK. (n.d.). Crohn's disease. Retrieved from
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/crohns/
