Crohn's disease: Know it, detect it early and treat it early

Recently, British media reported that Princess Kate was suspected of suffering from Crohn's disease. This news has brought Crohn's disease back into the public eye. Crohn's disease, known as the "immortal cancer" and "green cancer", has once again attracted public attention. So, what exactly is Crohn's disease? What are its symptoms that we need to be alert to?

Crohn's disease is a chronic nonspecific gastrointestinal inflammatory disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In recent years, the incidence of Crohn's disease in China has shown a significant upward trend, and the trend of younger patients is obvious.

Crohn's disease is more common in young adults aged 15 to 45, with similar prevalence rates in men and women. The disease is mostly found in the terminal ileum and ascending colon, but can also occur in any part of the entire digestive tract. Its symptoms are diverse, including digestive system symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, and abdominal mass, as well as systemic symptoms such as fever, loss of appetite, weight loss, and malnutrition. In addition, Crohn's disease may also cause extraintestinal symptoms such as arthritis, conjunctivitis, and skin and oral mucosal damage.

Crohn's disease is incurable, has many complications, a high recurrence rate, and a high risk of cancer. If it is not treated actively, the disease cannot be effectively controlled and may cause severe conditions such as gastrointestinal bleeding, acute intestinal perforation, intestinal obstruction, and even life-threatening. Therefore, early detection and early treatment are critical to controlling Crohn's disease.

However, Crohn's disease is a disease that is easily missed or misdiagnosed. Since the early symptoms are not obvious, it is easy to be ignored or treated as ordinary enteritis or appendicitis, resulting in delayed treatment and irreversible consequences. Therefore, when the body has digestive system symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, abdominal mass, and systemic symptoms such as fever, loss of appetite, and weight loss, it should be vigilant and go to the hospital to see a professional IBD doctor for examination in time.

For the treatment of Crohn's disease, drug therapy is currently used to control disease activity and maintain disease remission. Commonly used drugs include aminosalicylic acid preparations, glucocorticoids, immunosuppressants, etc. However, it should be noted that Crohn's disease is a lifelong disease that requires long-term treatment and management. Patients need to go to the hospital for regular review and follow-up in order to adjust the treatment plan in time and monitor changes in the condition.

In addition to drug treatment, some patients with severe Crohn's disease may need surgical treatment. The main purpose of surgery is to remove the severely diseased intestine to prevent further deterioration of the disease. However, surgery cannot cure Crohn's disease, and patients still need to continue to receive drug treatment and regular follow-up after surgery.

In addition to treatment, prevention of Crohn's disease is equally important. Doctors remind that regular living, abstaining from raw, cold, or unclean food, proper physical exercise, mental conditioning, and keeping a calm and happy mood can all help prevent the occurrence of Crohn's disease. In addition, for people with a family history of Crohn's disease, regular intestinal examinations are also an important means of preventing Crohn's disease.

In short, Crohn's disease is a chronic nonspecific gastrointestinal inflammatory disease with the characteristics of being incurable, having many complications, high recurrence rate, and high risk of cancer. We need to be vigilant and seek medical attention in time when relevant symptoms appear. At the same time, we can prevent the occurrence of Crohn's disease through good living habits and regular intestinal examinations. Only in this way can we better protect our health.