Crohn’s disease damages the digestive tract, which can have a devastating effect on your health unless you manage it well. At Bay Area Gastroenterology Associates, LLC, leading board-certified gastroenterology specialists provide comprehensive Crohn’s disease care in their Trinity, Florida, office. They help you understand your symptoms, how to manage them, and how you can have an excellent quality of life while living with Crohn’s disease. Book your appointment with the online feature now or call the office.
Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). With Crohn’s disease, an unusual immune system reaction leads to inflammation deep inside the gastrointestinal (GI) tract tissues.
This inflammation usually develops in the walls of the small and large intestines. But it can also occur anywhere along the digestive pathway, from the back of the mouth to the anus.
Chronic inflammation causes the affected tissues to thicken and swell, and ulcers can develop.
Crohn’s disease can inhibit your ability to absorb nutrients. For instance, some people with Crohn’s disease develop iron deficiency anemia because they can’t take in enough iron.
Crohn’s disease symptoms can include:
Symptoms happen in flare-ups: periods of intense symptoms followed by relatively symptom-free periods.
Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) share symptoms, especially abdominal cramping and diarrhea. Celiac disease and other GI diseases also have similar symptoms.
A comprehensive digestive health assessment is the only way to know what you’re dealing with.
Bay Area Gastroenterology Associates, LLC, reviews your health history and pattern of symptoms. Symptoms like rectal bleeding, unintended weight loss, and anemia are more likely to point to Crohn’s; abdominal cramping could be either IBS or Crohn’s.
You’ll likely need lab tests and an endoscopy (capsule endoscopy, upper endoscopy, colonoscopy, or another type) with tissue testing (biopsy). You could need a computed tomography (CT) scan or other tests.
By ruling other conditions out and checking for digestive tract damage, your provider can determine if you have Crohn’s or IBS.
Every person with Crohn’s disease has unique needs, so your provider works closely with you to manage your condition, reduce the frequency of flare-ups, and optimize your quality of life.
Approaches can include immune suppressants, medication for symptom relief, nutritional supplements, dietary changes, and other measures. Up to three-quarters of people with Crohn’s need surgery at some point, but your provider does everything possible to help you avoid that.
Confused about your symptoms? Call Bay Area Gastroenterology Associates, LLC, now to get help, or click online scheduling.