If you’re one of many individuals wondering “how do I know if I have Crohn’s disease,” you’ve come to the right place. Here at the Colorectal Clinic of Tampa Bay, we specialize in colorectal issues like this. In this post, we’ll help you understand what causes Crohn’s disease and answer a question you might have about your own health: how do you rule out Crohn’s disease?
What Is Crohn’s Disease?
This is a colorectal condition in the family of irritable bowel diseases (IBDs) that affects the intestines. This disease is characterized by chronic inflammation that may come in waves, causing mild to debilitating symptoms, depending on the individual. You can learn more about Crohn’s disease in one of our previous blog posts: Crohn's Disease: Everything You Need to Know.
What Are the Symptoms of Crohn’s Disease?
Keep in mind that Crohn’s disease can be a major source of anxiety and debilitating discomfort for patients. Furthermore, Crohn’s disease symptoms tend to range from mild to severe, and most patients experience “attacks” and periods of remission.
If you find that you have symptoms similar to these below, contact your doctor or colorectal specialist and inquire about Crohn’s disease. If you ask your doctor “how do you rule out Crohn’s disease,” they will likely tell you that you will need to have a scoping procedure (like a colonoscopy) and blood work done.
Bloating or fullness in the abdomen
Mild to extreme fatigue
Mild to extreme abdominal pain
Mild to extreme diarrhea
Possible ulcers in the upper digestive tract
Altered appetite due to severe symptoms
Weight loss is possible due to altered appetite
Rectal bleeding due to irritated rectum and anus
What Causes Crohn’s Disease?
It is theorized that Crohn’s disease is caused by an immune response to healthy gut bacteria. While this may sound like an auto-immune condition, it actually isn’t. Unfortunately, healthy cells in the intestines are not immune to the inflammation that constant attacks on bacteria in the gut cause. Certain risk factors seem to be at play here, too. For example, location, environment, and family history have been shown to play a role in a patient’s symptoms and the severity of the diagnosis.
How is Crohn’s Disease Treated?
Unfortunately, since this is a disease that treats good gut bacteria as invaders of the body, treatment is a bit complicated. Some targeted antibiotics may be beneficial to patients, but this will depend on which strain of bacteria the immune system is targeting. Immunosuppressing drugs may also incur some benefits for patients, but the side effects can be dangerous. If you are diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, depending on how severe your symptoms are, your doctor will prescribe an appropriate treatment plan.
Surgical options are often offered as a last resort or to repair damage caused by this disease. These options include strictureplasty (widens narrow, damaged sections of the small intestine), resection (a small portion of the large intestine is removed), colectomy (large intestine is completely removed), and proctocolectomy (large intestine and rectum completely removed).
Crohn’s disease Diagnosis and Treatment in Tampa Bay
Here at the Colorectal Clinic of Tampa Bay, we specialize in diseases like Crohn’s disease. We have helped many patients get a diagnosis, leading to a better understanding of what makes them so uncomfortable. If you regularly experience any of the symptoms above, you’re not alone and you are not crazy. Get in touch with one of our colorectal specialists today; we can help you get a diagnosis and see if there is a treatment that will help you.