Crohn’s disease is a complication that can be considered as a type of inflammatory bowel disease and affects parts of the gastrointestinal tract from mouth to the anus region. This inflammation of the digestive tract can result in abdominal pain, diarrhea, and weight loss.

Common Crohn’s disease symptoms
Crohn’s disease affects different people in distinct ways. At times, only the last segment of ileum, which is also known as the small intestine, is affected. In some patients, Crohn’s disease affects the colon or large intestine.

The last portion of the small intestine and colon are generally affected by Crohn’s disease. This disease can either be mild or severe. Mostly, the common Crohn’s disease symptoms develop at a gradual pace; however, in some cases, these symptoms come up suddenly.

The most common Crohn’s disease symptoms usually include diarrhea, fever, fatigue, blood in the stool, and reduction in appetite and mouth sores. People who have reported severe Crohn’s disease symptoms suffer from inflammation of the skin, joints, and eyes and inflammation of the liver and bile duct. Delay in the growth in children is also an indication that the child might be suffering from signs of Crohn’s disease.

Pain in the belly: This pain is intermittent and can cause cramps. The belly of the patient might feel sore when touched in such cases. This pain can turn into a constant ache and the condition of the patient can worsen with time.

Diarrhea: Patients who suffer from an advanced stage experience Crohn’s disease symptoms of diarrhea ten to twenty times in a day. Such patients can also experience blood in their stool.

Loss of appetite: Patients who experience Crohn’s disease symptoms may also suffer from loss of appetite and experience a reduction in the intake of food.

High fever: Sometimes patients who experience Crohn’s disease symptoms might also suffer from high fever. If the fever persists for a longer time, it is better to get it checked for it.

Development of anemic conditions: Patients who suffer from Crohn’s disease symptoms also tend to develop anemia since the iron level gets lower which is further caused due to blood in the stools.

Anal fissures: Small tears in the anus may also develop over time. These tears are known as anal fissures and are developed in patients suffering from Crohn’s disease. As the immune system is involved in Crohn’s disease, symptoms outside of digestive tract also surface in case of this disease. The real reasons which lead to the initiation of Crohn’s disease are still not known. It was initially suspected that stress and diet abnormalities have led to the evolution of this disease.

However, it has been observed that malfunctioning of the immune system and heredity factors also contribute to the growth of this disease condition. It has also been seen that a virus or a bacteria can also trigger Crohn’s disease. When a person suffers from this disease condition and the immune system tries to fight off the microorganisms responsible for Crohn’s disease, the immune system responds abnormally and this attacks the cells in the digestive system further aggravating the disease condition.

Heredity factor as listed above is also responsible for causing Crohn’s disease symptoms, and this disease afflicts people who have a family history of this disease.

Risk factors associated with Crohn’s disease
Crohn’s disease has many risk factors associated with it and people who suffer from this complication can face risk at multiple levels including age, ethnicity, family history, and use of no steroidal medications.

Age of the person: Though Crohn’s disease can be developed at any age group, the condition is most likely to develop in young people. People who usually suffer from this disease condition are of 30 years or less age.

The ethnicity of the person: This condition has been found to afflict patients across the globe; however, people of certain geographies, such as Eastern Europe, are more susceptible to this disease.

The family history of the person:  People who have immediate relatives in the family who are suffering from this condition are more prone to be attacked by Crohn’s disease. If a trend of data is available for the patients suffering from Crohn’s disease is seen it has been found out that one out of every five people suffering from this disease condition had someone in the family suffering from Crohn’s disease.

Medications: Medications such as ibuprofen and diclofenac sodium are known to cause the inflammation of the bowel which has a detrimental effect on the development of Crohn’s disease.

Complications owing to the development of Crohn’s disease
Crohn’s disease can lead to several complications including bowel obstruction, the formation of ulcers, development of a fistula, and anal fissures. People who suffer from Crohn’s disease also suffer from the risk of colon cancer. People who develop Crohn’s disease also suffer from numerous other allied health complications including anemia, skin disorders, arthritis, and liver diseases. Consultation with a trained doctor is a viable way of getting rid of Crohn’s disease conditions and if the above-listed symptoms afflict you or your loved ones, getting a quick follow-up from the doctor is a good idea.