Crohn’s disease sufferers feel a decrease in appetite, which leads to a deficiency in the nutrition and good health of the patient. Along with diarrhea and the poor absorption of necessary nutrients, Crohn’s disease sufferers tend to lose weight. There is no fixed diet to follow when suffering from Crohn’s disease; however it is advised to drink lots of fluids of about eight to ten serving’s everyday so that the body is kept hydrated and constipation is prevented.

On consultation of the doctor or registered dietitian, the patient may be recommended a multivitamin mineral supplement that will help in the replacement of lost nutrients. It is better to follow a high fiber diet when Crohn’s diet is under control. If eating vegetables raw does not seem to agree with the patient, it is better to cook and steam the vegetables. However with a flare up, the amount of high fiber foods has to be reduced while a low fiber or low residue diet followed. These diets provide some rest to the bowel so that symptoms are minimized.

If the patient is lactose intolerant, it is important that lactose containing food liked dairy products be avoided. Instead lactase enzymes and lactase pretreated food may be eaten. When in a flare up, it is important to nourish the body with small and frequent meals. A high protein diet with fish, eggs and lean meat provide relief from the symptoms of Crohn’s disease.

It is also possible to take a pre-digested nutritional drink so that the bowel is given a rest while lost nutrients are replenished by the body to repair it. However this drink should be taken only on the prescription of the dietitian. It is better to limit the intake of caffeine, alcohol and a sweetener, sorbitol as these products only aggravate the symptoms of Crohn’s disease.
It is better to limit the intake of foods that produce gas like vegetables from the cabbage family like broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts, onions, chives, dried peas and lentils, peppers and carbonated drinks. Patients whose intestines have been surgically removed have to restrict the intake of fat as these foods cause diarrhea and gas in such patients.

Patients whose ileum (part of the small intestine) has been rejected may require a Vitamin B12 injection. It has been proven through some studies that fish oil and flax seed oil are rather effective for those suffering from Crohn’s disease. Then there are some studies that prove that prebiotics liked psyllium and probiotics which are live culture are very helpful in providing some relief from Crohn’s disease.

On the overall, it can be said that it is important that people with Crohn’s disease follow a nutritious diet and avoid food that tends to worsen symptoms.
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The treatments for Crohn’s disease don’t necessarily involve treating the Crohn’s itself, but rather the symptoms that go with the disease such as abdominal pain, diarrhea and rectal bleeding. There are no cures, as yet for Crohn’s disease.

Treatment Options

1. Surgery

A great number of Crohn’s patients will undergo surgery at some point. Surgery is typically only recommended when there are serious and severe complications, but it may also be chosen for elective reasons. Some of the conditions that require surgery are excessive bleeding, perforation of the bowel, intestinal obstruction, formation of an abscess or toxic megacolon.

Some of the reasons you might consider surgery is if your current medical treatments aren’t as effective as they once were, or they are unable to control the pain, weight loss fever or extreme fatigue that are symptoms of your condition. Another reason elective surgery might be an option is if the side effects of your Crohn’s treatment have become too much for you to bear.

Patients with Crohn’s disease should never be afraid of surgery since it helps to alleviate the complications of the disease, and conserve bowel. Not only that, an entire health care team including a surgeon, anesthesiologist and primary physician will handle the surgery so you can be assured of a successful, well tolerated procedure.

2. Drug Therapy

A present there is no drug that will cure your Crohn’s disease; however there are medicines that are used for treating the symptoms that go with Crohn’s. Drug therapies vary from one patient to another and are usually custom-designed to suit every patient.

The Aminosalicylates are ideal for patients with mild to moderate disease. This drug is used to achieve or maintain remission. While there is no concrete proof that these medications are effective in treating Crohn’s, they are prescribed frequently since most patients can tolerate the drug quite well, and experience few side effects.

For patients that do not respond well to these medications, corticosteroids are a great alternative since these drugs control inflammation and induce remission. Although, these drugs are effective, they can cause some significant side effects such as increased receptiveness to infection, mood swings, anxiety, depression, elevated blood pressure, glaucoma, cataracts and osteoporosis. As a result, doctors gradually reduce the dose you are taking once remission is achieved.

Antibiotics are used to treat many ailments not just Crohn’s disease. They are particularly helpful in patients with fistulas, and can be combined with other medications. These drugs are used to delay the recurrence of Crohn’s disease.

Immuno-suppressives are drugs that suppress the immune system. They are effective but can cause some side effects such as nausea, vomiting, liver problems or inflammation of the pancreas. These drugs work by suppressing the bone marrow and as a result the immune response. Because of their side effects, frequent monitoring is required while you are taking this medication, including blood testing and regular visits to your doctor.

Biologic Therapy is the latest addition to treatments for Crohn’s disease, and is the first drug to ever be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating Crohn’s. What makes this drug so effective is the fact that it is an antibody that blocks that tumor necrosis factor.

3. Diet and Nutrition

Since Crohn’s disease is a disease of the digestive tract, it is critical for every Crohn’s patient to pay special attention to the foods they eat. Proper selection of food is important in order to reduce symptoms and promote healing.

4. Nutrition supplementation

Nutritional supplements are given especially to children with Crohn’s whose growth has been slowed down by the disease. A special high calorie liquid formula is sometimes used for this purpose. There may also be patients who require feeding through the veins. This procedure provides patients with extra nutrition while giving their intestines the rest they needs

5. Investigational treatments

Continuous research geared toward the discovery of effective treatments for Crohn’s disease offers patients great hope that a cure will someday be found for their disease. Investigational treatments include anti-TNF, Interluekin 10, Antibiotics, Budesonide, Methotrexate and cyclosporine, Natalizumab and zinc.

If you suspect you have Crohn’s disease, you should first consult your primary care physician before taking other steps. Careful diagnosis and monitoring is the key to living comfortably with Crohn’s. For more information about Crohn’s Disease , visit Crohn’s Disease Treatment page

Crohn’s Disease Symptoms

Crohn’s disease symptoms may include:

* Chronic diarrhea & disrupted digestion: It becomes difficult for the patients in the acute phase of the disease to eat and/or digest food.
* Painful and debilitating inflammation
* Fistulas of the colon
* Hemorrhoids
* Lipid absorption problems
* Anemia: Persistent rectal bleeding may lead to anemia.
* Bruising of the shins.
* Fever, pain and psychological damage in many cases
* Crohn’s disease in children may cause delayed development and stunted growth.

Crohn’s Disease Treatment

Crohn’s disease treatment may include medication, surgery, dietary advice and Helminthic therapy (current research).

Medication Treatment

Acute treatment: steroids are used in the initial stages. Long-term steroid therapy is discouraged because of their side effects. Corticosteroids like prednisone are traditionally used medications. The side effects of steroids may include insulin resistance and frank diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), glaucoma, osteoporosis, severe psychological issues etc.

Chronic treatment (Steroid-sparing): The treatment may include Salicylates – 5-ASA derivates – 5-aminosalicylic acid compounds such as sulfasalazine (Azulfidine®, Salazopyrin®), mesalamine (Pentasa®, Asacol®), olsalazine, and balsalazide. Immunomodulating drugs such as azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine and methotrexate are given mainly in moderate-to-severe cases. Infliximab (brand name Remicade®) is given in patients with therapy-resistant or fistulating Crohn’s. Adalimumab (brand name Humira®) has been used in patients who show allergic reaction to infliximab. The drugs like thalidomide are under study trials.

Surgery

In the case of widespread intractable Crohn’s colitis, the colon and rectum (protocolectomy) are removed by the surgery ileostomy. Surgery is generally avoided, as this does not cure the disease. Crohns disease can recur at the site of the anastomosis or ileostomy.

Dietary Advice

Crohn’s patients should avoid the following foods and liquids:

* Dairy foods
* High fiber foods should be avoided during flare-ups.
* Hot spicy foods
* Alcohol & caffeine
* Foods containing saturated fats, found in meat and dairy products. However some fats such as in fish oil may actually be helpful.
* Products containing corn or gluten, those made from wheat, oats, barley, or triticale
* Foods, such as soy, eggs, peanuts and tomatoes
* Gas-producing foods such as cabbage family vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and brussels sprouts), dried peas and lentils, onions and chives, peppers and carbonated drinks
* Foods that may irritate the intestine (particularly the cabbage family vegetables)
* Simple sugars
* Dried fruits or high-sugar fruits, such as grapes, watermelon, or pineapple
* Sorbitol (an artificial sweetener)

Beneficial Foods:

* Fluids to keep the body hydrated and prevent constipation
* Fruits may be protective
* A high protein diet with lean meats

Advice:

* Eat small frequent meals
* Prebiotics such as psyllium may help in the healing process.
* Probiotics may also be helpful in aiding recovery of the intestines.

Helminthic Therapy

Recent studies have come up with a promising Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis treatment. Helminthic therapy is a new treatment that has shown impressive results in clinical trials. It argues that the absence of intestinal worms (due primarily to higher hygiene standards) from the human intestinal tract may cause the immune system that is not evolutionary adapted to this condition, to over-react causing inflammation and other negative effects, and that reintroducing helminths through ingesting eggs of a certain species (which is not dangerous to humans) can help down regulate and normalize immune responses.

Helminthic therapy like the fecal bacterio therapy induces a characteristic TH2 white cell response in the diseased areas which seems to be the key in achieving and maintaining remission, and may prove to be of key significance in further research.
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