Crohns-Disease

What is Crohn’s Disease?

Crohn’s disease is a chronic, inflammatory bowel disease that can affect any part of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. While any part of the GI tract, from the mouth to the anus, can be involved, the most commonly affected region is the last part of the small intestine known as the terminal ileum.

Symptoms for Crohn’s Disease include:

– Abdominal pain and cramping

– Diarrhea

– Rectal bleeding

– Weight loss

– Fevers

– Perianal symptoms including anal fissures and ulcers

In some cases, Crohn’s disease can also cause pain and inflammation in your mouth, joints, eyes, and even skin.

How is Crohn’s Disease diagnosed and Treated?

In order to diagnose Crohn’s Disease, your doctor will start with a detailed past medical history. In addition, a series of lab tests, diagnostic tests including endoscopy/colonoscopy, and imaging studies will be obtained.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for Crohn’s disease and treatment will depend on the location and severity of disease. The goal of treatment is to reduce inflammation, prevent potential complications, and improve quality of life. The majority of patients respond to non-surgical management including diet and lifestyle changes and drugy therapy. However, nearly half of

those patient with Crohn’s disease will require one surgery. While surgery is not a cure, the focus will be to remove diseased segment of the intestine in order to provide long term relief .

Crohn’s Disease patients will often require surgery when abscesses or fistulas or more serious complications like bowel obstruction or an intestinal perforation occur. When surgery is recommended, Dr. Barnajian performs minimally invasive surgery, often using the latest advances in robotic surgical technology in order to achieve the best outcomes and decrease recovery times.

To receive more information on Crohn’s Disease, please contact the office of Dr. Barnajian and make an appointment today.