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Crohn disease is a chronic (long-term) disease of the digestive tract
marked by severe inflammation. It may involve any part of the digestive
system from the mouth to the rectum, but is most likely to affect the
small intestine and the area around the anus. Crohn disease is similar
to ulcerative colitis, another disease of the digestive system that is sometimes
categorized together with Crohn disease as inflammatory bowel
disease (IBD). The major difference between ulcerative colitis and Crohn
disease is that ulcerative colitis is usually restricted to the large intestine
and involves the upper layers of the bowel lining, while Crohn disease
can occur anywhere in the digestive tract and affects deeper layers of
tissue.
Crohn disease is named for Burrill Bernard Crohn (1884–1983), a
gastroenterologist (doctor who specializes in diseases of the digestive
system) who treated patients at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.