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Crohn's Disease Research Paper

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Inflammatory Bowel Disease, also known as IBD, is comprised of two major disorders: Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis (UC). Both conditions are characterized by inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Although Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis share similarities in symptoms, treatment, and prevention there are also distinct characteristics between the diseases.
Ulcerative colitis is classified as a chronic inflammation that involves only the large intestine. In UC, the inflammation starts at the rectum and spreads into the colon continuously, developing ulcers only in the inner most lining of the colon. Compared to UC, Crohn’s disease is characterized by skip lesions that resemble a patchy cobblestone appearance, generated anywhere …show more content…

More than one million people have been diagnosed with IBD in the United States, accounting for 100,000 hospitalizations per year. Approximately 10 to 25 percent of affected patients have a first-degree relative with either ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. Risk factors include heredity, age, environmental and family history. Although signs and symptoms of rectal bleeding, weight loss, abdominal pain, cramping, anemia (low blood count) or fever can range from mild to severe, it usually develops very gradual. A person may even have periods of remission without having any symptoms for a length of time. Neither Crohn’s disease nor UC are contagious or preventable and etiology is unclear, it’s thought to be an autoimmune disorder that causes the body to react abnormally in the intestinal tract. Although Crohn’s disease and UC have similar symptoms, they vary on how the affect the gastrointestinal tract. A required colonoscopy procedure to obtain tissue samples, from the colon, will confirm or rule out any disease process. Once diagnosed, colon cancer increases with both diseases. Special surveillance of colon screening would be …show more content…

The main concern of physicians is to help patients regulate their symptoms and immune system better, through diet, medication, and possibly surgery. Although the food a person eats doesn’t trigger the diseases, it can help control aggravation of symptoms. It’s important to maintain a healthy and soothing diet that helps reduce your symptoms, replace lost nutrients, and promote healing. Many people find that soft, bland foods cause less discomfort than spicy, fatty or high-fiber foods. Medication such as, steroids and antibiotics would be prescribed to treat symptoms of diarrhea, abdominal pain, and inflammation. As I stated above the first concern of physicians is get their immune system better. Cigarette smoking is slightly controversial; it will increase the risk for Crohn’s disease, but may be protective against ulcerative colitis. Clinical trials to evaluate the effectiveness of nicotine patches are still being examined to show any relief of symptoms for people with UC, while not promoting other health complications of smoking. Stress, which most of us deal with on a daily basis, may have a role in the exacerbation of symptoms in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Approximately one-quarter of patients with ulcerative colitis, medical therapy is not completely successful. Under these circumstances, surgery may be considered as a last resort. This operation involves the removal of the entire large colon, known

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