Crohn's Disease Essay

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Crohn’s Disease is a life-long debilitating form of inflammatory bowel disease that can cause many complications. Like most autoimmune diseases, these complications and unpleasant symptoms have shown to be unpredictable and difficult to control, which can cause a sense of powerlessness, helplessness and lead to stress and depression. There is ongoing research to understand this disease more, to determine exactly what causes this disease and ultimately find a cure.[5] Although the exact cause of Crohns disease remains unknown; immunologic, microbial, vascular, genetic, environmental and psychosocial factors have been suggested. The immunologic response is a cellular immune response that leads to the production of TNF-alpha. TNF-alpha has…show more content…
Some of the more common complications associated with the disease are bowel obstruction, ulcers, and fistulas. Bowel obstruction is the most common and results from the thickening of the intestinal wall with swelling and scar tissue, narrowing the passage. The narrowing of the intestines blocks flow of digested material through the affected area. In severe conditions surgery is needed to remove the dead and damaged tissue of the bowel. Chronic inflammation that accompanies this disease can lead to the formation of ulcers. Ulcers are open sores that are characterized as deep with defined borders in Crohn’s patients. Again because the disease can affect the entire GI tract, the ulcers can form in the mouth all through to the anus. Fistulas can form from ulcers extending through the intestinal wall. Fistulas are abnormal connections between different parts of the intestine or another organ. The development of internal fistulas, may allow food to bypass areas of the bowel where absorption occurs. External fistulas can lead to drainage of bowel contents to the skin. Some fistulas may become infected and form abscesses, a life-threatening

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