Overview
Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that can cause inflammation anywhere along the digestive tract, most often the end of the small intestine and the start of the colon. The inflammation can extend deep into the bowel wall and affect patches with healthy areas in between. It tends to follow a relapsing and remitting course with flares and quieter periods. Without proper management it can lead to complications such as narrowing, abscesses, or abnormal connections between organs.
Symptoms
- Persistent or recurring diarrhoea
- Abdominal pain and cramping, often in the lower right side
- Unintended weight loss
- Fatigue
- Blood or mucus in the stool
- Fever during flares
- Mouth ulcers
- Reduced appetite
- Joint, eye, or skin problems in some people
Causes & risk factors
- An overactive immune response in the gut
- Genetic predisposition and family history
- Imbalance in gut bacteria
- Smoking (a known risk factor)
- Environmental factors
- Possible interaction with diet, though diet does not cause the disease
Treatment & self-care
Care aims to reduce inflammation, control flares, maintain remission, and prevent complications. This typically involves specialist-prescribed anti-inflammatory or immune-modifying treatments, nutritional support, monitoring through blood tests and imaging or endoscopy, and sometimes surgery for complications. Stopping smoking is strongly advised. Management is lifelong and must be directed by a gastroenterologist; do not self-treat.
See a doctor urgently if
- You have persistent diarrhoea lasting more than a few days
- You see blood in your stool
- You have unexplained weight loss or ongoing fever
- You have severe abdominal pain
- Seek urgent care for severe constant abdominal pain with a swollen abdomen and vomiting (possible blockage), or heavy rectal bleeding