Amy Dowden opens up about her battle with Crohn's disease
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The main symptoms of Crohn’s disease are diarrhoea, stomach aches and cramps, and blood in your poo. Crohn’s disease can range from mild to severe, though therapies can greatly reduce its signs and symptoms. The disease can occur at any age, but Crohn’s disease is most often diagnosed in adolescents and adults between the ages of 20 and 30, according to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.
While symptoms of Crohn’s disease can vary from person to person, the type of Crohn’s you have impacts the symptoms and complications you may experience.
The NHS says that some people with Crohn’s disease have a high temperature, find that they are feeling and being sick and have joint pains.You may also notice signs in your eyes, mouth, and skin.
These can include sore, red eyes, patches of painful, red and swollen skin – usually on the legs, and mouth ulcers.
Children with Crohn’s disease may grow more slowly than usual, the NHS adds.
Nonetheless, the main symptoms of Crohn’s disease are diarrhoea, stomach aches and cramps, blood in your poo, tiredness and weight loss.
“You might not have all these symptoms,” it explains.
It adds: “A GP will try to find out what’s causing your symptoms and may refer you for tests to check for Crohn’s disease.”
The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation says that patients will likely experience periods when symptoms are active, known as flares, followed by periods of remission when you may not notice any symptoms at all.
The organisation adds that there is no single test to confirm a Crohn’s diagnosis, and Crohn’s disease symptoms are often similar to other conditions, including bacterial infection.
It is estimated that Crohn’s Disease affects about one in every 650 people in the UK.
With medication, many people with Crohn’s have mild and infrequent symptoms of diarrhoea and pain, and their illness may not affect their lives very much, adds the charity.
The NHS states that it is thought several things could play a role in causing the condition. These include your genes, as you are more likely to get it if a close family member has it.
It may also be caused by a problem with the immune system that causes it to attack the digestive system.
Other causes may be smoking, a previous stomach bug or an abnormal balance of gut bacteria, says the health body.
When Crohn’s disease first develops it is sometimes mistaken for appendicitis.Your doctor will initially arrange blood tests to help find the diagnosis.
You may also be asked to provide stool samples for analysis to see if there is an infection in your gut.
If it is thought that you may have Crohn’s disease you will be referred to a specialist for further investigations.
If you are very ill then you may need to be admitted immediately to hospital for these investigations.
The two most common forms of IBD are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. There are ways to distinguish between Crohn’s and IBS.
IBS is classified as a syndrome, defined as a group of symptoms, while IBD is classified as a disease.
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