Understanding Crohn's Disease: Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment

Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that can affect any area of the intestinal tract. It can be quite painful. Due to the number of inflammatory bowel diseases that exist, it can be tough to diagnose Crohn's. While there is no known cause for Crohn's disease, many treatments exist that will help to put the disease into remission.

Instructions

• 1

  Compare your symptoms to those of Crohn's disease. Crohn's disease patients will experience one or all of the following: diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramping, ulcers, blood in the stool, fistulas and a lack of appetite. People with a severe case of Crohn's disease may also experience fever, fatigue, eye inflammation, arthritis and inflammation of the liver.

• 2

  Visit a doctor if you experience any of these symptoms. Crohn's disease is one of many inflammatory bowel diseases, and can manifest itself in a variety of ways. Some patients may have constant bowel problems and pain, while others may have flare-ups of the disease.

• 3

  Look into your family history. While there is no distinct cause for Crohn's disease, it is believed by many physicians that the disease can be attributed to heredity. Research shows that in about 20 percent of Crohn's disease cases, the patient has a family member who also has Crohn's.

• 4

  Find out if you are at risk for Crohn's disease. Crohn's mainly affects Caucasians of Jewish or European descent and usually strikes people between 20 and 30 years of age. It is more prominent in people who smoke and most often found in people living in urban or industrialized areas.