Crohn’s disease
Crohn’s disease causes inflammation in part of your digestive system. Crohn’s disease can affect any part of it, but it most often involves your small intestine and colon.
Your doctor will likely diagnose Crohn’s disease only after ruling out other possible causes for your signs and symptoms. There is no single test to diagnose Crohn’s disease.
Your doctor will likely use a combination of tests to help confirm a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease .
One goal of medical treatment is to reduce the inflammation that triggers your signs and symptoms. Another goal is to improve long-term prognosis by limiting complications. In the best case scenario, this may lead not only to symptom relief but also to long-term remission.
Anti-inflammatory drugs
Anti-inflammatory drugs are often the first step in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. These include Corticosteroids.
If diet and lifestyle changes, drug therapy, or other treatments don’t relieve your signs and symptoms, your doctor may recommend surgery. Nearly half of those with Crohn’s disease will require at least one surgery. However, surgery does not cure Crohn’s disease .
During surgery, your surgeon removes a damaged portion of your digestive tract and then reconnects the healthy sections . Surgery may also be used to close fistulas and drain abscesses .
The benefits of surgery for Crohn’s disease are usually temporary. The disease often recurs, frequently near the reconnected tissue. The best approach is to follow surgery with medication to minimize the risk of recurrence.
There’s no firm evidence that what you eat actually causes inflammatory bowel disease. But certain foods and beverages can aggravate your signs and symptoms, especially during a flare-up. Here are some general dietary suggestions that may help to manage your condition: some factors are to limit dairy products , eat small meals, drink plenty of liquids , also consider multivitamins , and talk to a dietician .
Your time with your doctor is limited, so preparing a list of questions can help you make the most of your visit. List your questions from most important to least important in case time runs out.
For Crohn’s disease, some basic questions to ask your doctor might include :
Are there other possible causes for my symptoms?
-What kinds of tests do I need? Do these tests require any special preparation? Is this condition temporary or long lasting?
–What treatments are available, and which do you recommend?
-If I have Crohn’s disease, what is the risk that my child will develop it?
What kind of follow-up testing do I need in the future?
Treating Crohn’s disease is a marathon race and not a sprint so it’s advisable to seek expert help from a trained rheumatologist always .
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