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My name is Mark, this web site is all about my fight with Crohn's Disease, I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease in July, 1996. For those of you out there who don't really know what it is, here's the rundown for you. Crohn's Disease is a chronic (ongoing) condition, which is not infectious. The most common age for diagnosis is between 15 and 35 (although diagnosis can occur at any age). In Crohn's there is a higher chance of developing the illness if you have a close relative who has the condition. In 10-15% of cases, Crohn's may be difficult to distinguish. Men and women suffer equally. The disease affects approx 55,000 people in the UK – that's about 1 in 1,000. Approximately 3,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. Research shows that the number of people with Crohn's Disease has been rising steadily, particularly among young people. More recently, numbers have stabilised.It can affect anywhere from the mouth to the anus but most commonly affects the small intestine and/or colon. It causes inflammation, deep ulcers and scarring to the wall of the intestine and often occurs in patches. The main symptoms are pain in the abdomen, urgent diarrhoea, general tiredness and loss of weight. Crohn's is sometimes associated with other inflammatory conditions affecting the joints, skin and eyes. The severity of the symptoms fluctuates unpredictably over time. Patients are likely to experience flare-ups in between intervals of remission or reduced symptoms. The cause or causes have not yet been identified in either illness. Both genetic factors and environmental triggers are likely to be involved.
The drug treatment including 5-ASA therapies (eg: mesalazine) and steroids, to control or reduce the inflammation. Suppressants of the immune system (eg: azathioprine) are used to maintain remission. In addition, various antibiotics can be used; and a new range of drugs are being introduced called monoclonal antibodies (eg: infliximab). Crohn's Disease can also be helped by special liquid feeds which rest the bowel. Surgery may be required to remove narrowed or damaged parts of the intestine. Smoking has an adverse effect on Crohn's Disease, so patients are discouraged from smoking. Crohn's is a relapsing, remitting condition and most patients remain under hospital follow-up. Urgent consultation or hospital admission may be required for ‘flare-ups'. There is no cure for Crohn's at present, but treatment can control the disease in most cases. Worldwide research is rapidly increasing it's understanding of IBD, and so hopes for better treatments are high. © NACC, October 2001
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