More than 500,000 people in the United States suffer from the potentially debilitating autoimmune disease called Crohn's disease (CD). CD is a condition of the intestinal tract that causes painful abdominal cramping and frequent diarrhea.
David T. Rubin M.D., an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and a leading authority on CD and ulcerative colitis, is working with www.CrohnsandMe.com to help people understand the disease and how to best manage it. Read Dr. Rubin's answers to some commonly asked questions about CD and visit www.CrohnsandMe.com for more information.
Q: What causes Crohn's disease?
A: In healthy individuals, the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract) routinely becomes mildly inflamed when exposed to food and bacteria. In a healthy person, the inflammation is turned on and off to allow the body to absorb nutrients, but not become infected. In people who are susceptible to Crohn's, the body is unable to turn this inflammation off , which causes the immune system to overreact. It is not known what causes CD, but different stimuli may cause Crohn's in different people. It could be bacteria, something in the intestines, or family history.
Q: How is Crohn's disease treated?
A: Although there is no cure for CD, patients with this condition should expect to be able to control the condition and live a high quality of life. The goal for treatment is to control the inflammation in the GI tract which will eliminate most symptoms of the disease. Because this is a lifelong condition in most patients, chronic medical therapy is necessary to keep it under good control, and fortunately, there are excellent therapies available and new therapies that are coming soon.
Q: Are there any triggers for people who already live with the disease?
A: Infections of the intestinal track (like traveler's diarrhea or food poisoning) can activate this disease. In addition, smoking can trigger CD and patients who smoke have a more aggressive disease that is more difficult to treat and is more likely to return after surgery. It is extremely important that smokers who have Crohn's enroll in programs to quit smoking. Family members of people with CD should avoid smoking. Those with Crohn's should avoid anti-inflammatory medicines like ibuprofen or prolonged use of aspirin.
Q: Are there any new Crohn's disease treatments on the horizon?
A: Fortunately, there are many promising therapies that are being evaluated for managing CD and some that are far along in the drug development pipeline being evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. We are extremely optimistic about new treatments that are coming and look forward to more effective and safe therapies in the near future.
Q: How can people living with Crohn's continue to live a normal life in the face of this disease?
A: Information about living with Crohn's is available at www.CrohnsandMe.com. The site also shares patient success stories, travel tips, medical information, and information on new treatments in the pipeline. People can also sign up for “The Crohn's Disease Tracker”, a convenient way to track Crohn's symptoms.
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