health

There is no medical or surgical cure for Crohn disease. Treatment consists
of managing the patient’s symptoms, getting the disease into remission,
and preventing relapses.
Patients may be given one or more different types of medications to
relieve pain and discomfort including cortisone and other drugs that
reduce inflammation; drugs that block or lower the body’s immune
response; antidiarrheal drugs and fluid replacements; antibiotics; and
nutritional supplements. Special high-calorie liquid formulas may be prescribed.
Although doctors no longer think that diet causes Crohn disease,
they usually advise patients who are having a flare-up to avoid bulky
grains, spicy foods, alcohol, and milk products until their symptoms
diminish.
Patients who are not helped by medications or who have structuring
Crohn disease are usually treated by surgery. In most cases the surgeon
removes the diseased part of the intestine and reconnects the healthy portions.
This procedure may have to be repeated, however, if inflammation
develops in the area of the intestine next to where a diseased portion was
removed. In cases in which the disease is located in the large intestine
(colon), the surgeon may have to remove the entire colon in a procedure
called a colostomy. In this procedure, an opening called a stoma is made
in the wall of the abdomen, and a portion of the remaining colon is
attached to the stoma. The person’s body wastes pass through the stoma
and are collected in a special bag attached to the outside of the body.
Another type of surgery for patients with stricturing Crohn disease
involves widening the intestine at the point of the stricture.