Being sick with a bowel disease can be very painful, discomforting and embarrassing. Diarrhea, for one, can make a person lethargic aside from the inconvenience it would bring. Don’t you just hate going back and forth to the toilet because of diarrhea?  Irritable bowel syndrome is another type of bowel disorder which is characterized by abdominal pain, diarrhea and constipation that would go away when bowel movement has been passed. Another type of bowel ailment is Crohn’s Disease. People afflicted with this disorder suffer from extreme abdominal pain, diarrhea and malnutrition.  Luckily, those who have Crohn’s Disease can control the pain and discomfort brought by the disorder through drugs.

What Causes Crohn’s Disease?

It is usually due to the inflammation of the small intestine or the large intestine. The inflammation may be confined at the bowel wall and lead to scarring. Crohn’s disease sounds really painful. A closer look at its symptoms will reveal more about the pain and discomfort brought by this disease.

Symptoms of Crohn’s Disease

The most common symptom of the disease is diarrhea. It happens because the inflammation in the small intestine or large intestine pushes the cells to produce large amounts of salt of water. The colon won’t be able to completely take in all the excess fluid, so it has to flush out the toxins. It is very common for people with Crohn’s disease to experience extreme diarrhea, which is really excruciating and irritating.

Aside from extreme diarrhea, other symptoms of this disease are abdominal pain and cramping and blood in the stool. How does this happen? The inflammation caused by the disease can leave the walls of the bowel to swell. Scar tissue then develops, affecting the normal movement through the digestive tract. This explains why there is pain and cramping felt by people with Crohn’s disease.  In serious cases , the pain may be associated with nausea and vomiting. The blood in the stool, on the other hand, is due to the bleeding of the inflamed tissues. The bowel may also be bleeding. If you notice red blood in your stool, then you could be afflicted with the disease.

Other symptoms of Crohn’s disease are fever, fatigue, ulcer and reduced weight, as the abdominal pain and cramping can affect an individual’s appetite and ability to absorb food. People who have this health problem usually don’t have the appetite anymore and this affects their weight.

Best Treatments for Crohn’s Disease

There are many medications that can treat the symptoms of this  disease. Among the most trusted names is Remicade, an anti-inflammatory agent.  How does it help in treating the ailment? Remicade attacks a chemical called the tumor necrosis factor alpha which is believed to be one of the main reasons behind Crohn’s disease.

Humira is also an effective drug for the treatment of this bowel disease especially the moderate cases. This is administered by injecting the liquid under the skin. It lessens the pain caused by Crohn’s disease. Those who use Humira for Crohn’s disease should be warned about the possible side effects like headache and back pain.