Crohn's Disease

Crohn’s disease is a chronic condition that causes inflammation in the lining of the digestive system. It is a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that can affect any area of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, from the mouth to the anus, although most of the time it affects the small intestine (ileum) and colon. This inflammation can cause severe and debilitating abdominal pain, diarrhea, and malnutrition, which might lead to life-threatening complications. Different parts of the digestive system can become inflamed as a result of Crohn’s disease, with various symptoms and complications depending upon the parts of the intestinal tract that are affected.

Often times, doctors will refer to 5 different types of Crohn’s disease, depending upon which area of the GI tract is involved:

Gastroduidenal Crohn’s Disease: Affecting the stomach and the start of the small intestine (duodenum). Common symptoms include weight loss, nausea, and loss of appetite. Vomiting might be an indication of an obstruction in the narrowed segments of the bowel.
Granulomatous Colitis or Crohn’s Colitis: Affecting only the colon. Common symptoms include diarrhea, rectal bleeding, and formation of disease around the anus, such as abscess, fistulas, and ulcers. This form of Crohn’s also has a higher rate of skin lesions and joint pain.
Ileitis: Affecting only the small intestine. Common symptoms include diarrhea, weight loss, abdominal cramping and pain, particularly in the middle and lower right part of the abdomen. Increased risk for complications such as fistulas or inflammatory abscesses in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen.
Ileocolitis: Affecting the small intestine (ileum) and colon. This is the most common form of Crohn’s. Common symptoms include diarrhea, weight loss, abdominal cramping and pain, particularly in the middle and lower right part of the abdomen.
Jejunoileitis: Affecting the upper half of the small intestine (jejunum) with patches of inflammation. Common symptoms include diarrhea as well as mild to severe abdominal pain and cramping, especially after eating. This type of Crohn’s might result in the formation of fistulas.

Approximately 700,000 Americans have Crohn’s disease, often affecting people early in life between the ages of 15 and 35. Crohn’s disease statistics are frequently reported as part of the estimated 1.4 million Americans with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) because about 10% of the time it cannot be distinguished from ulcerative colitis. Ulcerative colitis is another form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). While the exact cause of Crohn’s disease is still not known, there appears to be a strong genetic link between sufferers. A person is 10 times more likely to have the condition if they have a relative with the disease. If their sibling has Crohn’s disease—a brother or sister—then their risk for the condition is 30 times higher. Family history is the strongest risk factor, but higher incidents of Crohn’s disease have also been found in people with Jewish ancestry. Currently there is not a definitive genetic test for Crohn’s disease. It is usually diagnosed through a series of tests, often to rule out other possible conditions. Colonscopy, sigmoidoscopy, CT scans, MRIs, endoscopy, and barium enemas might also be used to confirm a diagnosis.

Treatment options for Crohn’s disease include medications, supplements, and dietary changes. Almost 3 out of 4 people with Crohn’s will eventually require surgery to remove damaged parts of the digestive tract, close fistulas, drain abscesses, or widen segments of the intestine that have narrowed (strictureplasty). Medical treatments try to reduce inflammation levels that cause symptoms and complications. While Crohn’s is a lifelong illness, it can respond to drug therapy, lifestyle changes, surgery, and other courses of treatment that could result in a long-term remission.

Like other chronic conditions, Crohn’s disease is a complicated, lifelong illness that can impact a number of different areas of your health. You will likely be under the care of numerous doctors and specialists, take a range of medications and supplements, undergo procedures and surgeries, make changes in your diet and nutrition, and closely monitor your symptoms. HealtheHuman provides an extensive set of tools to help you track all of this information and much more, making it easier for you to build and maintain a comprehensive personal health record. Our software also includes a series of daily health trackers to help you monitor your symptoms, medications, supplements, diet, and much more. Powerful charting and reporting tools help you analyze and share your information with your doctors and specialists.

Key Health Information to Track for Crohn’s Disease

Track All Your Symptoms

Most of the symptoms of Crohn’s diseases are linked to inflammation in the intestines, including diarrhea, bloody stools, abdominal pain, ulcers, loss of appetite, and weight loss. The inflammation causes swelling of the intestinal walls, which can thicken over time and result in the development of scar tissue. Normal movement through the intestines becomes difficult once it is inflamed and often leads to cramping and pain. As food passes through the digestive system, it can also cause the affected tissue to bleed, resulting in bloody stools. Ulcers are also common for people with Crohn’s and can form anywhere along the digestive tract, commonly in the mouth and the intestines. Intestinal ulcers can form and grow to the point of penetrating the intestine wall. Often the pain and discomfort of eating, combined with poor absorption of food, can result in weight loss and suppressed appetite. Other symptoms include fever, fatigue, arthritis, and inflammation of the eye, liver, or bile ducts. A number of trackers in HealtheHuman can help you log and analyze your symptoms as well as create charts and reports to share with your healthcare advisors. Using the Symptom Tracker, you can track cramping, pain, and discomfort throughout the day and look for trends that might indicate your condition is improving or worsening.

Look for Changes in Bladder and Bowel Movements

When the lining of your intestine become inflamed, they secrete large amounts of water and salt that overwhelm the colon and causes diarrhea. People with Crohn’s often experience loose stools, diarrhea, bloody stools, mucus, and severe cramping. Often times these symptoms can be improved with medications, supplements, and occasionally with dietary changes. The Bladder and Bowel Tracker will help you track and detail changes in your bowels, helping measure the effectiveness of different courses of treatment. Monitoring changes in your bowel movements can also help discover worsening symptoms early in the episode, helping you and your doctors take reactionary and preventative action.

Keep Accurate Records of Your Medications, Vitamins, and Supplements

While there is no pharmacological treatment for Crohn’s, there are a number of drugs and supplements used to control inflammation and manage symptoms. Reducing inflammation is often the first course of action for controlling Crohn’s disease, which usually involves anti-inflammatory drugs and immune system suppressors. Antibiotics are prescribed to help treat fistulas and abscesses, but some research is underway to see if they can also help reduce harmful bacteria as well as suppress the immune response in the intestines. Treatment might include a number of different anti-diarrheal treatments, including supplements and medications. Over-the-counter medications for discomfort, cramping, bloating, and pain might also be used, as well as prescription strength options for more severe cases. A variety of supplements might also need to be incorporated into your diet, including iron supplements for anemia, vitamin B-12, calcium, vitamin D, fiber supplements, fish oil, and a multi-vitamin to treat malnutrition. Whenever you are managing a chronic condition like Crohn’s, keeping accurate and up to date records of all your medications, supplements, and vitamins is important information to share with your doctors and other health specialists. The Medication Tracker and Supplement Tracker make it easy to keep records of all your medications and vitamins, as well as detailed daily logs of when you are using them. An extensive set of charting and reporting options lets you quickly share your medication history and usage details with your doctors.

Document All Procedures and Surgeries

It is very common for people with Crohn’s disease to undergo a number of different procedures while being diagnosed and treated, including colonoscopy, signmoidoscopy, computerized tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), capsule endoscopy, double balloon endoscopy, and x-rays. Often times these procedures are used to help locate and access the amount of inflammation or to look for other complications such as blockages, fistulas, or abscesses. When damage is severe, surgery may be required to remove the diseased tissue and then reconnect the healthy sections of the digestive tract. Bowel obstructions, abscesses, strictureplasty, and anal fissures might also require surgery to correct. The Procedure History and Surgery History tools in HealtheHuman can help you record these treatments for your personal health records. Providing a detailed history of your prior procedures and surgeries can be valuable information to your current doctors and health advisors.

Track All Your Lab Results

A number of different tests are used to help diagnose and monitor the progression of Crohn’s disease. During diagnosis, your doctor might run an erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) test, which measures the separation of red blood cells from plasma. People with certain types of Crohn’s disease have a higher sedimentation rate, meaning the red blood cells separate from plasma faster than people without the disease. Once under treatment, your doctor will be monitoring your condition through a series of tests, such as anemia, hemoglobin, liver function, C-reactive protein, albumin, fecal fat, and white blood cells. Tracking the results of your lab tests over time can provide valuable insight into the progression of your condition or aide in the identification of abnormalities. The Laboratory Test Results Tracker lets you track thousands of different laboratory test results. Charting and analysis tools help you plot values, monitor readings, and quickly identify changes. You can build PDF reports for all of your lab results, making it easy to share with your doctors and health advisors.

Learn Your Food Triggers

Although the specific triggers vary from person to person, certain foods and beverages are known to aggravate the symptoms of Crohn’s disease, especially during a flare-up. Keeping a detailed food diary can help you identify the foods that might make your symptoms worse. Many people with Crohn’s have problems with dairy, fried or high-fat foods, carbonated and caffeinated drinks. Depending upon your symptoms, even healthy foods like fresh vegetables that are high in fiber may make diarrhea, gas, and pain worse. Learning the foods that make your symptoms worse is an important way to control your condition. HealtheHuman includes a database of over 40,000 foods and beverages to help you quickly find and track what you are eating. When combined with the Symptom Tracker, you can help investigate what foods might be contributing to your symptoms and flare-ups.

Maintain a Balanced Diet

Malnutrition is one of the major concerns for people with Crohn’s disease. It is important to monitor and potentially supplement key vitamins and minerals to offset poor nutritional absorption. The Diet and Nutrition Tracker helps you log all of the foods you eat, providing a breakdown of your calories, fat, cholesterol, fiber, sugar, and more, both by meal and by total for the day. You can keep a food diary and share this information with your dietitian or doctor to ensure you maintain a healthy, balanced diet.

Build Detailed Timelines of Flare-Ups

Crohn’s disease can involve long periods of remission, or times of frequent flare-ups. When your condition worsens, it is important to track anything that could potentially be triggering the flare-up or making your symptoms worse. One of the benefits of logging all of your health information in one place is that it is easy to analyze all your information for a given timeframe and discover potential causes. The Event Tracker helps you create chronological timelines of significant events including your diet, medications, supplements, symptoms, and almost anything else you are tracking in HealtheHuman. You can create detailed reports of the event for your analysis or to share with your doctors and advisors.

Keep Records of Your Doctors, Specialists, and Advisors

Dealing with a chronic condition often involves working with a number of different doctors, specialists, and advisors. As you continue to manage Crohn’s disease, you might see numerous doctors and advisors, so it is important to maintain accurate records for all the people who have been a part of your treatment. Providing details on all your health advisors, both past and present, can be very important to a new physician or specialist. The Advisor History feature in HealtheHuman helps you keep track of all your health advisors, including maintaining information of their contact details, prescription history, appointments, and related expenses.

Build a Comprehensive Health History

Keeping your doctors informed on your medical history is an important part of your care, and could have an impact on their course of treatment. There are also a number of complications from Crohn’s disease that might be important red-flags to your physicians or health care advisors. Some of the related conditions include arthritis, colon cancer, kidney stones, gallstones, and osteoporosis. If you have been diagnosed or are being treated for one of these conditions, it could be related to a flare-up or escalation of your Crohn’s disease. Sharing any previous or existing conditions with your doctor might provide valuable diagnostic and treatment information. Make sure to provide your physicians and other health advisors with as much detail on your past medical conditions, procedures, surgeries, hospitalizations, or any other relevant aspect of your health. All of the features in HealtheHuman help you build and share a comprehensive personal health record and history with all your doctors and advisors.

Other Things You Can Do to Help Manage Crohn’s Disease

See Your Doctor Regularly

Tracking your health information is most valuable when this information helps you have more effective and meaningful visits with your doctors, specialists, and other health advisors. Maintaining regular appointments with your treating physicians and specialists is vital to your long-term success managing Crohn’s disease. It is important to keep your appointments with your doctor and to provide as much detail as possible to help make their treatment accurate and effective.

Talk to a Dietitian Who Specializes in Crohn’s Disease

It can be difficult to maintain a diverse, balanced diet when you have Crohn’s, especially if your symptoms are worsened by many different foods. Having too limited a diet might make your condition worse by depriving your body of vitamins and minerals from certain foods. It can also be difficult to get enough calories to maintain a healthy weight. Talking to a dietitian can be very helpful, especially one with experience helping people with Crohn’s disease.

Discuss Multivitamins and Supplements with Your Health Advisors

Crohn’s reduces the amount of nutrients your body absorbs from foods, which could be exacerbating your malnutrition levels. Make sure to discuss you diet and nutrition with your doctor. It might be helpful to add in a multivitamin or supplement to your diet to help counteract the poor absorption from your condition. Your doctor might also suggest working with a dietitian.

Don’t Smoke

Smoking increases your risk for developing Crohn’s disease. Once you have Crohn’s, smoking can make your condition worse. Quitting smoking can improve the health of your digestive tract along with many other health benefits. If you need help quitting, talk to your doctor about ways to support your efforts to stop smoking.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Weight loss is a common symptom of Crohn’s disease. It is often difficult to maintain a healthy weight with this disease, especially when eating makings painful symptoms worse. Additionally, the disease affects the body’s ability to properly absorb nutrition from the foods we eat. It is important to monitor your weight and watch for unexpected changes. Being underweight can also weaken the immune system.

Stay Active and Get Regular Exercise

Staying active is an important part of being healthy. Getting regular exercise helps control stress levels, relieve depression, and normalize bowel functions.

Watch Your Stress Levels

Stress affects nearly every part of your body, including your digestive processes. When you are under stress, your stomach empties more slowly and increases the production of acids. It can also impact the intestines, which can make your symptoms worse or even trigger a flare-up. We can’t always avoid stress, but learning ways to manage it can help you minimize its impact on your symptoms. Try to make time for relaxation, meditation, yoga, deep breathing, or any other technique that helps you relieve tension.

Other Resources

U.S. National Library of Medicine, Crohn's Disease

Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America

Medical Disclaimer: All information on this site is of a general nature and is furnished for your knowledge and understanding only. This information is not to be taken as medical or other health advice pertaining to your specific health and medical condition.