Crohn's Disease

Common symptoms of Crohn's disease include the following:

• Loose, watery or frequent bowel movements
• Abdominal cramps and pain
• Fever
• Rectal bleeding
• Loss of appetite and subsequent weight loss

During periods of active symptoms, you also may experience:

• Fatigue
• Joint pain
• Skin problems
• Fissures, or tears in the lining of the anus
• Fistulas, a tunnel that connects the intestine to the bladder, vagina or skin
• Oral or skin lesions

First your doctor will ask about your medical history and perform a physical evaluation. There is no single test that can provide a diagnosis of Crohn's disease, but rather a series of X-rays, laboratory tests, endoscopy and pathology tests that are used. These may include the following:

• Blood Tests: Blood tests may be done to check for anemia, which may indicate bleeding in the intestines. Blood tests also may uncover a high white blood cell count, which is a sign of inflammation somewhere in the body. C reactive protein, a marker of inflammation, also may be elevated.
• Stool Sample: By testing a stool sample, the doctor can tell if there is bleeding or infection in the intestines.
• Small Bowel Radiograph: Your doctor may perform a small bowel follow through to look at the small intestine. For this test, you will drink barium, a chalky solution that coats the lining of the small intestine, before X-rays are taken. The barium and irregularity of the border between the barium and intestine shows up white on X-ray film, revealing inflammation or other abnormalities in the intestine.

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Although there is no cure for Crohn's disease, there are a number of treatment options available.

Drug Therapy

Drugs are used to suppress the inflammatory response associated with Crohn's disease, which in turn helps the intestines to heal and relieves symptoms. Once symptoms are under control, medications are used to decrease the frequency of flare-ups and prevent symptoms from recurring. There are several types of drugs available to treat Crohn's disease including aminosalicylates, corticosteroids, immune modifiers and biologic therapy.

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