What Are the Warning Signs of Crohn’s Disease?

It’s not currently known what causes Crohn’s disease, but there are risk factors that may contribute to developing the disease.

Risk factors of Crohn’s disease include:

• Genetic factors
  • Runs in families
  • Between 5% and 20% of people with IBD have a first-degree relative (parent, child, or sibling) who has IBD
  • If both parents have IBD, the risk is significantly increased
  • Most common among people of eastern European descent
• Environmental factors
  • Crohn’s disease is more common in:
    • Urban cities and towns
    • Developed countries
    • Northern climates

A Crohn’s disease diagnosis is given during a doctor visit in which the physician will perform a physical examination and run tests such as: 

• Blood tests
• Stool tests
• X-rays of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract
• Colonoscopy
• Upper endoscopy
• Small intestine imaging
  • Fluoroscopic X-ray
  • Computed tomography (CT) scan 
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan
• Biopsy 

Crohn’s disease treatment usually involves a combination of medication and diet changes. Sometimes surgery may be recommended.

Medications for Crohn’s disease include:

• Aminosalicylates (5-ASA)
• Corticosteroids
• Azathioprine
• Antibiotics
• Biologic/biosimilar therapies
• Sulfasalazine
• Immunomodulators

Diet changes for Crohn’s disease include:

• Eating a healthy, balanced diet
• Eating four to six small meals daily.
• Restricting dairy intake in patients who are lactose-intolerant
• During flares:
  • Consume soft, bland foods 
  • Avoid spicy or high-fiber foods 
• When in remission, eating a healthy, balanced diet that includes:
  • Low-fiber fruits
  • Lean protein
  • Refined grains
  • Vegetables that are fully cooked, seedless, skinless, and non-cruciferous
  • Oral nutritional supplements 
  • Homemade protein shakes
  • Water, broth, tomato juice, and rehydration solutions to stay hydrated

Surgery for Crohn’s disease includes:

• Strictureplasty: repairs a narrowing (stricture) 
• Colectomy, which is removal of the colon
• Proctocolectomy, which removes the colon and rectum
• Bowel resection to remove a damaged portion of the small or large intestine 
• Fistula removal
• Abscess drainage