Crohn’s Disease: Dr. Burrill B. Crohn

Crohn’s Disease

Introduction

According to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA), it was “[(n)amed] after Dr. Burrill B. Crohn, who first described the disease in 1932 along with colleagues Dr. Leo Ginzburg and Dr. Gordon D. Oppenheimer”. Crohn’s disease is a disorder involving the gastrointestinal tract and is categorized under the category of inflammatory bowl diseases (IBD) along with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and ulcerative colitis. According to Huftless in Pharmacologic Therapies for the Management of Crohn's Disease: Comparative Effectiveness (2014), “current medical science defines Crohn’s disease as chronic full thickness inflammation that can occur anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract, but most often affects the small bowel and colon” (ES-1). The underlying cause of inflammation is due to an immune system response which attacks bacteria in the intestinal tract that is normally beneficial to the digestion process. The bacteria which are normally protected from this response, are mistakenly perceived as foreign, which triggers the inflammatory response that becomes chronic and leads to a variety of symptoms (ccfa.org).

Demographics

The symptoms of Crohn’s disease can vary greatly over a wide population of varying age, sex, and ethnicity. It is already known that hereditary and genetic predisposition impact the development of Crohn’s disease as seen in twin longitudinal twin studies. “The identification of susceptibility loci has enhanced our understanding of the causes of the disorder by providing important clues about crucial and disturbed pathways of the intestinal immune system” (Baumgart 2012). “Crohn’s disease may affect as many as 700,000 Americans. Men and women are equally likel...

... middle of paper ...

...Crohn's Disease: Comparative Effectiveness” [Internet]. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2014 Feb. (Comparative Effectiveness Reviews, No. 131.) Introduction. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK192950/

Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. “What is Crohn’s Disease?” 2014. Web. 13 May 2014 www.ccfa.org/what-are-crohns-and-colitis/what-is-crohns-disease/

Mayo Clinic. “Crohn’s Disease” 2014. Web. 13 May 2014 http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/crohns-disease/basics/symptoms/con-20032061

Torpy J M, Lynm C, Glass R M. “Crohn Disease.” Journal of the American Medical Association, 299.14 (2008): 1738. doi:10.1001/jama.299.14.1738.

Baumgart, Daniel C. , and William J. Sandborn. "Crohn's Disease." The Lancet Volume 380: 1590-1605. Web. 12 May 2014.