Treating Crohn's disease

Crohn's disease is unpredictable. People with Crohn's disease experience flare-ups of symptoms, also called attacks (or relapses if they happen more than once), followed by long periods of time, often weeks to months, when the symptoms go away, also called remissions. Flare-ups can cause you to frequently miss work, meals, sleep, or time with your family and friends, and even end up in the hospital.

Biologics Biologic response modifiers, or biologics, are a group of medications for Crohn's disease that work by controlling the disease itself. The following biologics are available in Canada to treat Crohn's disease: adalimumab (Humira®) infliximab (Remicade®) Your body makes a substance called tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), which is an important part of your immune system and body's defences.

5-ASA medications work directly on the bowel lining, where they reduce inflammation. They are used to treat symptoms of a flare-up and to help keep the condition in remission. The following 5-ASA (5-aminosalicylic acid) medications are available in Canada to treat Crohn's disease: 5-ASA (Pentasa®, Salofalk®, generics) sulfasalazine (Salazopyrin® and Salazopyrin En-tabs®, generics) 5-ASA medications are available as pills, enemas, and suppositories.

Corticosteroids work by reducing inflammation. Rather than working directly on the bowel tissue, they work throughout the body. They are used to treat the symptoms of a flare-up and are used for people with moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease when 5-ASA medications don't work. The following corticosteroids are available in Canada to treat Crohn's disease: budesonide (Entocort®) prednisone (e.

A variety of other medications are also used by people with Crohn's disease, including: antimicrobials to treat bowel infections (e.g., metronidazole, ciprofloxacin) anti-diarrhea medications (e.g., loperamide) nutritional supplements (e.g., vitamins and minerals) pain relievers (e.g., acetaminophen) medications to treat or prevent osteoporosis (e.

People with Crohn's disease are at risk of malnutrition for a variety of reasons: When symptoms are severe, people don't feel like eating. Diarrhea makes food move faster out of the body, so there's less time for nutrients to be absorbed. Ulcerative colitis can damage the intestinal walls, which reduces the body's ability to absorb nutrients.

Certain lifestyle choices can help control the symptoms of Crohn's disease. These options should be taken into account when developing any treatment plan for controlling your Crohn's disease. Watch what you eat: Certain foods and drinks can aggravate your symptoms, so it's important to recognize and eliminate these from your diet.

For people with Crohn's disease (CD), surgery can be used to remove diseased or damaged areas of the bowels. Regardless of the treatment you're on, you should meet with your doctor on a regular basis to track your progress. The role of surgery in Crohn's disease Surgery cannot cure CD. But surgery can still help people with CD in many ways, including relieving symptoms and improving quality of life, by: repairing damage done by the condition removing diseased areas of the bowel removing blockages in the bowel About three out of four people with CD will eventually treat it with surgery.