Crohn's disease

Crohn's disease is a nonspecific inflammatory lesion of the gastrointestinal tract at any level with the formation of inflammatory infiltrates, deep longitudinal ulcers complicated by perforations, external or internal fistulas, bleeding and other severe complications.

The etiology is unknown. In the colon, Crohn's disease manifests itself in the form of granulomatous colitis. The emergence of foci of granulomatous inflammation and ulceration of large areas of the colon leads to intoxication, depleting diarrhea, intestinal bleeding, anemia, dysproteinemia, electrolyte balance disorders and complications of septic nature.

Symptoms, course. With local lesions, most often occurring in the Ipecekalnom department, characterized by general malaise, fever to subfebrile. When palpation is determined by the infiltration in the right side of the abdomen. Often there is an acute onset of the disease, which is similar in clinic with acute appendicitis. Sometimes the correct diagnosis is only the result of the operation (detect terminal ileitis or ileocolitis). Later in this zone, internal or external fistulas are formed. More common are multisegmentary lesions of the colon, which are severe and resemble non-specific ulcerative colitis in symptomatology and course, but with granulomatous colitis the rectum is much less likely to be affected than other parts of the thick. Internal and external fistulas are formed more often, deep anal fissures. Of importance for differential diagnosis are x-ray studies, rectomo-and colonoscopy (longitudinal ulcers-cracks) and biopsy (deep plasmolymphocytic infiltration, sarcoid granulomas).

Treatment is conservative, basically the same as with nonspecific ulcerative colitis. If it is ineffective and severe complications (perforation, bleeding, toxic dilatation, intestinal obstruction), surgical intervention aimed at removing the affected areas is indicated.

The prognosis is usually severe due to a protracted progressive course. After a radical operation, a prolonged remission is possible.