Introduction Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract that belongs to a group of conditions known as Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD). Crohn’s disease is defined as a transmural inflammation with skip lesions that can affect the gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus (Mulder, Noble, Justinich, & Duffin, 2013). In Crohn’s disease the immune system attacks the gastrointestinal system and can cause the digestive tract to be chronically inflamed. Crohn’s disease has a variety of symptoms that include abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, fever, and weight loss. Crohn’s disease can also affect the joints, skin, eyes, and cause kidney stones, gallstones and other ailments (Warner & Barto, 2007). Physiology of Crohn’s disease Crohn’s disease can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract, from the mouth to the anus, but it most commonly affects the end of the small bowel (the ileum) and the beginning of the colon. It can simultaneously involve different areas of the gastrointestinal tract with alternating diseased segments with normal segments. Crohn’s disease involves the full thickness of the bowel wall and can be complicated by fistulas and abscesses. Crohn’s disease may also have granuloma cells which is called granulomatous enteritis or granulomatous colitis (Warner & Barto, 2007). The cause of Crohn’s disease is unknown, but researchers believe it is the result of an abnormal reaction by the body’s immune system. Normally, the immune system protects people from infection by identifying and destroying bacteria, viruses, or other potentially harmful foreign substances. Researchers believe that in Crohn’s disease the immune system attacks bacteria, foods, and other substances... ... middle of paper ... ...ging Crohn's disease. It's particularly useful for evaluating a fistula around the anal area (pelvic MRI) or the small intestine (MRI enterography) (NDDIC, n.d.). If the patient has signs and symptoms that suggest Crohn's disease but other diagnostic tests are negative, their doctor may perform capsule endoscopy. The camera takes pictures are checked for signs of Crohn's disease. An endoscopy with biopsy is often still needed to confirm the diagnosis of Crohn's disease and to exclude other causes of their symptoms (NDDIC, n.d.). A barium enema is often down to evaluate their large intestine with an X-ray. The barium dye coats the lining of the bowel, creating a silhouette of their rectum, colon and a portion of their small intestine that's visible on an X-ray. This test is rarely done anymore because of the availability of colonoscopy and CT scanning (NDDIC, n.d.).
in the upper GI tract. Gastric and duodenal ulcers can also result from Crohn’s disease and Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (ZES). The patient does not report a history of Crohn’s disease nor is he symptomatic for it. His symptoms do not indicate (ZES). ZES is a hyper secretory gastric acid disorder that results in multiple peptic ulcers, kidney stones, watery diarrhea and malabsorption.
Lupus is inflammatory disease caused when the immune system attacks its own tissues and organs, and this inflammation affects many different body parts such as the joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs. Second is the Celiac disease and it is an autoimmune reaction from eating gluten, and it may lead to damage in the small intestine because this disease attacks the villi, the projections that line the small intestine for protection. The last example is Rheumatoid Arthritis, an inflammatory disorder in which affects many joints, mainly in hands and feet, and then causing your joints to painfully swell and possibly cause bone erosion.
Infections, for example, sinusitis, bronchitis, and pneumonia add to long-term lung damage. Cystic Fibrosis also causes damage to the pancreas because the thick mucus blocks tubes, and ducts, preventing enzymes from reaching the intestines. When this happens, the digestive system is unable to ingest fundamental fats and proteins, causing diarrhea, serious constipation, and intestinal blockage. As CF worsens, more serious manifestations rise like bronchiectasis, pancreatitis, hepatopathy, and diabetes. Treatment:
Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease. It is a fairly common disease that affects a large population causing abdominal pain, frequent bloody stools, and fatigue
“When I feel good (almost all the time), Crohn’s doesn’t affect school at all,” she said in an e-mail. “It’s when I get so exhausted that I have to miss a day of school. I feel guilty missing school, and depending on the time of year, I get so much work the next day that I have to make up.
“Crohn’s disease appears to be caused by a dysfunctional inflammatory response in the gastrointestinal tract” (U. S. News, 2009). Inflammation is the body’s natural way to heal by sending immune cells to the site of the injury or invader. Researchers think that this immune system response may be triggered by bacteria or viruses, material in the intestinal contents, or a defective signal from the body’s own cells, called an autoimmune response. Inflammation results in pain, heat, redness, and swelling of the tissue. Chronic inflammation can harm the function of tissues and organs (U.S. News, 2009).
The second procedure I was fortunate to observe was an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). The operation was performed with local anesthesia to the throat or sedation. The same type of scope was utilized, but instead of inserting through the rectum, the scope was inserted through the mouth. This procedure allowed the doctor to inspect the lining of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. Like the scope above, the doctor extracted biopsies, inflated the gastrointestinal tract, and cleansed the walls utilizing the scope. (Lewis, Dirksen, Heitkemper, & Bucher, 2014, p.
IBS is a functional GI disorder, meaning it cannot be explained by any specific structural or biochemical abnormality. The disorder is subdivided into three different types, which are named on the basis of the predominant symptom – IBS-D (diarrhea-predominant), IBS-C (constipation-predominant), IBS-M (mixed diarrhea and constipation). Clinical presentation varies considerably with regard to the quality of the predominant feature and the overall severity of symptoms. Formal diagnosis is based on the most recent Rome III criteria, which require that a patient experience recurrent abdominal discomfort of at least 3 days per month over the previous 3 months, with a total symptom duration of at least 6 months, in...
Wakefield, A. J., Murch, S. H., Anthony, M. A., Linnell, J., Casson, D. M., Malik, M., Berelowitz, M., Dhillon, A. P., Thomson, M. A., Harvey, P., Valentine, A., Davies, S. E., & Walker-Smith, J. A. (1998). Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children. Lancet, 351(9103), 637–641.
The doctor might also conduct a physical examination to confirm the diagnosis. This is carried out by listening...
Digestion is defined as the process of transforming foods into unites for absorption. The Digestive System is a complex network of organisms that have six major processes: The digestion of food, the secretion of fluids and digestive enzymes, the mixing and movement of food and waste throughout the body, the digestion of food into smaller pieces, the absorption of nutrients, and the excretion of wastes (Inner Body (1).)
Imaging tests. Imaging tests usually aren’t necessary, but in some instances, especially when no evidence of infection is found, They may be helpful. For example, an X-ray or ultrasound may help out other potential causes inflammation, such as a tumor or structure
Inflammatory bowel disease is a life long disease, and it particularly targets the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract), which consists of the mouth, esophagus, stomach small intestine, large intestine (appendix, cecum, colon (ascending, transverse, descending, and sigmoid), and rectum), and anus. The gastrointestinal tract is very important to the human body; some of its functions include mechanical and chemical digestion of food, the movement of food and waste from mouth to anus, secretion of enzymes and mucus, and the absorption of nutrients. These are some reason why it’s so destructive when this part of the body becomes impaired or even damaged.
The human digestion system is very complex. It starts with the mouth, salivary glands, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, small intestine, large intestine, then ends/exits with the anus. Each step is essential to the whole system. For example, the mouth chews food and mixes it with saliva produced by the salivary glands, and then the pharynx swallows chewed food mixed with saliva, this is followed by the food traveling through the esophagus to the stomach where the food gets a bath and mixes with acids and enzymes. After the stomach, the liver, pancreas, and gallbladder produce, stores, and releases bile and bicarbonates. Bile is produced in the liver and aids in digestion and absorption of fat while the gallbladder stores bile and releases it into the small intestine when needed. Following the process into the small intestine, this is where nutrients will be absorbed into the blood or lymph (most digestion occurs here). Next is the large intestine this is where water and some vitamins and minerals are absorbed. Finally, it is the end of the road, the anus. At...