Crohns disease is one of the inflammatory bowel diseases included with ulcerative colitis. Once called ileitis it was renamed in 1932 to Crohns disease. Crohns disease can cause an inflammatory response in the digestive tract from the mouth to the anus but more commonly it is in the small and large intestines.

Here are the Facts Crohns:

• The cause of Crohns is still unknown.
• There are factors that increase risk but the exact cause hasn’t been pinpointed.
• Crohns disease is more common in people between the ages of 20 and 30 but has been diagnosed in children and older adults.
• Crohns disease appears to be a condition that primarily affects those living in a Western industrialized society with all the poor nutrition, fast lifestyle and high stress associated with it.
• Many physicians believe that Crohns disease is an autoimmune disease which means that something in the body begins to attack the body’s cells causing the inflammation and condition.
• Black Americans are at a decreased risk for developing Crohns disease.
• People of Jewish decent have a higher risk of developing the condition.
• There is no cure at this time. There are ways to manage the disease and decrease the inflammation and pain but no cure.
• The disease was named after Burrill Bernard Crohn.
• Crohns disease isn’t contagious.
• There appears to be a familial link as about 20% of people with Crohns has a close blood relative with one of the inflammatory bowel diseases.
• Men and women are equally affected
• Crohns affects around 2 million people in North America and around 95,000 in the U.K. or about 1 out of every 600 people.
• Abdominal pain and diarrhea are the most common symptoms
• Other symptoms can be rectal bleeding, weight loss, arthritis, skin disorders, inflammation of the eye and fever.
• Current treatment options include drugs, nutritional supplements, surgery, dietary and lifestyle changes.
  The goal is to ease symptoms and control inflammation.
• Complications include bowel obstruction, narrowing, perforation, stomach distention, nausea, vomiting, ulcers, scarring and abscesses.
• Patients can help themselves by giving up smoking and moderate amounts of alcohol, improving nutrition, staying away from foods that cause problems.

Natural Help for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)