HEALTHY REASONING: Belly Problems: Treating Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

By Allan Jones
Pride Health Columnist

November is a month packed with a lot of medical information…it is among other things, the month dedicated to men’s health issues (prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health), diabetes awareness and Crohn’s and Colitis awareness.

In this article I am concentrating on problems in the belly. This is where Crohn’s and colitis exert their effects.

Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, belong to a group of conditions known as Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD). Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract. It is important to recognize that Crohn’s disease is not the same thing as ulcerative colitis. The symptoms of these two illnesses are quite similar, but the areas affected in the gastrointestinal tract are different.

Crohn’s most commonly affects the end of the small bowel or small intestine and the beginning of the large bowel or large intestine, but it may affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract, from the mouth to the anus. Ulcerative colitis is limited to the colon, also called the large intestine.

There are approximately 233,000 Canadians living with IBD. This works out to one in every 150 Canadians or 0.7% of the population. IBD is twice as common as multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease and about as common as Type 2 diabetes or epilepsy.

The incidence of IBD in Canada has been rising, particularly since 2001 and significantly so in children under age 10.

The causes of Crohn’s disease are not well understood. Diet and stress may aggravate Crohn’s disease, but they do not cause the disease on their own. Recent research suggests hereditary, genetics, and/or environmental factors contribute to the development of Crohn’s disease.

Crohn’s tends to run in families, so if you or a close relative have the disease, your family members have a significantly increased chance of developing Crohn’s. Studies have shown that 5% to 20% of affected individuals have a first-degree relative (parents, child, or sibling) with one of the diseases. The risk is greater with Crohn’s disease than ulcerative colitis. The risk is also substantially higher when both parents have IBD.

The disease is most common among people of eastern European backgrounds, including Jews of European descent. However in recent years, an increasing number of cases have been reported among Black populations.

The environment in which you live also appears to play a role. Crohn’s is more common in developed countries rather than undeveloped countries, in urban rather than rural areas, and in northern rather than southern climates.

Symptoms related to inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract include persistent diarrhea, rectal bleeding, urgent need to move bowels, abdominal cramps and pain, sensation of incomplete evacuation, constipation.

General symptoms that may be associated with inflammatory bowel disease are fever, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, night sweats, loss of menstrual cycle. Even if you think you are showing signs of Crohn’s disease symptoms, only proper testing performed by your doctor can render a diagnosis.

There are many challenges for people with IBD, ranging from lack of awareness of the condition as a chronic disease, to social stigma, to lack of equity in access to IBD medications.

As with most medical conditions dealt with in this column, you are reminded that your treatment and cure, is in your hands. It is up to you to read up as much as you can on a condition, once diagnosed, and ensure that you are being offered the best care by your medical team.

Allan Jones is a Health Promoter and Broadcaster. He can be reached at ajones@jjmedical.ca.