Crohn's Disease

When To Call A Professional

New or changing symptoms often mean that additional treatment is needed to keep Crohn's disease under control. For this reason, people who have Crohn's disease should be in frequent contact with a doctor. One serious complication, bowel obstruction, causes vomiting or severe abdominal pain and requires emergency treatment. This occurs when the inside of the intestine becomes narrowed, so that the digestive contents cannot pass through. Other symptoms that require a doctor's immediate attention are fever (which could indicate infection), heavy bleeding from the rectum, or black paste-like stools (this is how blood looks after traveling a long distance through the intestine).

Prognosis

Crohn's disease can affect people very differently. Many people have only mild symptoms and do not require continuous treatment with medication. Others require multiple medications and develop complications. Crohn's disease improves with treatment and is not a fatal illness, but it cannot be cured. Crohn's requires people to pay special attention to their health needs and to seek frequent medical care, but it does not prevent most people from having normal jobs and productive family lives. As is the case for any chronic illness, it can be helpful for a newly diagnosed person to seek advice from a support group of other people with the disease.

Additional Info

Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America 386 Park Ave. South 17th Floor New York, NY 10016 Phone: (212) 685-3440 Toll-free: (800) 932-2423 Fax: (212) 779-4098 E-Mail: info@ccfa.org http://www.ccfa.org/

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders 31 Center Dr. Bethesda, MD 20892 Phone: (301) 496-3583 http://www.niddk.nih.gov/