Crohn’s Disease in 15-35 Year Olds

Grant Cannon

Zach Drees

English 102

September 3, 2014

Battle Tested

Crohn’s Disease in 15-35 year olds

        According to ccfa.org, this year 70,000 people will find out they have Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). IBD is the chronic response and inflammation of the digestive track, most commonly Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis. IBD is a disease with an unknown cause, something just triggers an inflammatory reaction in the body. People will normally experience a lot of discomfort and go see a doctor. When people are diagnosed with Crohn’s, they are first informed about what the disease is, told what treatments are available to them, and how they will have to treat their bodies for the rest of their lives.

        Crohn’s disease affects the entire digestive system, including the lower bowel region and the beginning of the anus. This causes persistent diarrhea, blood in the stool, fatigue, and severe cramps to name just a few. Crohn’s is most prevalent in teenagers and young adults ranging ages 15-35. With this disease, it is hard to live a normal lifestyle; they can’t enjoy all the foods they usually eat, they can experience weight loss, or feel extremely exhausted. “Living with Crohn’s teaches a great lesson to, you can’t fool your body, you have to pay attention to it” (Caflin, Norm 1).  Normally, during digestion the gastrointestinal system contains harmless bacteria to help break down the food. When a foreign invader enters your body, the immune system responds to fights them off and is protecting the harmless bacteria. In the case of Crohn’s and people with IDB, these harmless bacteria get mistaken for harmful invaders and the immune system attacks itself. Naturally, certain things, like their stress levels or the food they eat, are going to cause symptoms to flare up, so there are plenty of options they have to reduce their symptoms and go into remission.

        After finding out what is going on in the body, the first thing people ask is how to treat Crohn’s disease. Unfortunately, there is no cure for Crohn’s yet, but there are a few options people can choose from to reduce their symptoms. Treatment usually involves drug therapy, or in some cases, surgery. According to the CDC, “Two-thirds to three-quarters of patients with Crohn's disease will require surgery at some point during their lives” (Inflammatory Bowel Disease 1). The first step in treatment is anti-inflammatory drugs, which attempt to reduce inflammation in the bowel system. When the Crohn’s is affecting the colon, oral 5-aminosalicylates are very helpful in reducing inflammation. Corticosteroids, on the other hand, reduce inflammation everywhere in the body, but can only be used for a short period of about three to four months. If those do not work, then the next step is immune system suppressors, Imuran and purinethol are most commonly used, reduce inflammation and target the immune system. Taking them requires the person to have regular follow ups closely with a doctor and have their blood checked regularly to look for side effects, such as a lowered resistance to infection. Another common suppressor is an injection called Humira. Humira’s website says, 58% of people who took it saw significant symptom relief and 36% achieved remission. There are plenty of other medications people can take to help with these symptoms, such as supplements and pain relievers.

        With Crohn’s, there is a high change these people will need some sort of surgery throughout their life. There are four main types of Crohn’s surgery. Bowel resection removes the infected area of the intestine, and sometimes, doctors will fix fistulas. Through stricturoplasty, they open up narrow areas of the small intestine.  Proctocolectomy is when doctors remove the rectum and colon. Also, they give you a stoma, which is where they pull the small intestine through a hole in the stomach, which helps waste pass through. Finally, there is a surgery for people with severe Crohn’s, called colectomy. This is where the surgeon takes out the colon and attaches the small intestine to the rectum. Doctor Vogel said, “Typical procedures take 1 to 3 hours and require 3 to 7 days of recovery in the hospital" (Bowers, Elizabeth 2). With all these options, it is clear these people have hard decisions regarding their health, making lives very challenging.