Crohn's Disease



Crohn's Disease

Definition of Crohn's Disease

According to New York Times, Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which typically impacts on the intestines of a person, but can occur anywhere from the mouth to the end of the rectum (anus) (NY Times, 2012). Crohn's disease mainly results in digestive tract's lining inflammation which can cause abdominal pain, malnutrition, and even severe diarrhea. In different people, different parts of digestive tract can be affected by this disease. The inflammation this disease cause mostly leads towards spreading deep into the impacted bowel tissues' layers, such as ulcerative colitis. This disease is painful as well as debilitating, and often results in life threatening implications (www.mayoclinic.com).

Causes of Crohn's Disease & People It Can Affect

Crohn's disease can impact on as many as 700,000 U.S. citizens, where men and women are equally like to be impacted by it at any stage of their lives. However, this disease is more prevalent among young adults and teenagers between the ages of 15 to 35. According Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA), the causes of this disease are not well understood. Where, stress and diet do aggravate this disease but they do not cause crohn's on their own. Current studies indicate that genetic, heredity, and/or environmental factors contribute in developing this disease (www.ccfa.org). According to New York Times, this disease is an autoimmune disorder which is a condition when one's immune system of a body mistakenly hit and wipe outs the healthy tissues of a body (NY Times, 2012).

An inflammatory response can be the cause of Crohn's disease, where this occurs when one's body tries to secure itself from what it takes as invasion by a foreign substance (antigen). These antigens can be bacteria, viruses, or other harmful substances. In crohn's disease, the ...