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Essay on Overview of Crohn's Disease

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Description Crohn’s disease is chronic inflammatory disease of the intestines however affects the entire digestive system, from the mouth to the anus otherwise known as the Gastrointestinal Tract (GI Tract) [1]. Individuals affected by the disease are often young adults and adolescents aged 15 – 35 [7]. Crohn’s Disease is one of the two types of Inflammatory Bowel Disorders (IBD), the other being ulcerative colitis [3] and is usually located in the lower part of the small intestines and the upper end of the colon. There is no exact cause of this disease however various stimuli can cause the disease such as bacteria, genetics or Paneth cells [4]. Paneth cells are one of the four main specialised cell types found in the small intestine [6] …show more content…

This will actually allow doctors to see any abnormalities of the intestines such as narrowing, ulcerations, and sometimes fistulae of the bowel [8] and even how much of the GI tract the disease is affecting [2]. Along, with the many benefits of this imaging test, there are some risks that are associated with this diagnostic such as radiation. Radiation is a large factor in which can affect overall health and with overexposure to radiation can cause mutations in cells developing cancers [2].
Symptoms
Symptoms would often appear in young adults and can either develop slowly or have a sudden onset [9]. They often vary depending on the person and location of the disease; for instance, some may experience more of one symptom than another. Many common symptoms include, persistent diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, rectal bleeding, anal leakage, weight loss, abscesses (a localized infection), fistulas (abnormal tube connecting two hollow organs such as the vagina and the colon), anxiety and depression. Many less common symptoms that would affect 1 in 3 people would be joint, skin and eye inflammations [1]. This disease may also lead to other related illnesses such as perianal disease, as 25% of those who have Crohn’s disease may develop it [4]. However, one in three patients will experience other conditions with the anal area such as swelling of tissue of the anal sphincter [2]. With many of these symptoms this

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