Crohn's may trigger when bacteria cause autoimmune attack

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About 3,000,000 Americans suffer from Crohn's disease, and once you are diagnosed with the disease, you always have it.

According to Gastroenterologist Dr. Arthur Ostrov, people can be born with a genetic predisposition for Crohn's, an autoimmune disease that can kick in at any age. The ingestion of bacteria can set it off.

"A bacteria who sets off an attack against themselves, an autoimmune attack. The result is an inflammation, a swelling that can be anywhere for the mouth all the way to the bowel to the very end with manifestation that can involve the skin, the eyes, the joints and the back," Dr. Ostrov said.

Symptoms can range depending on the severity of the disease.

"We may just have inflammation and that can cause pain, diarrhea or weight loss. We may have narrowing of the bowel and that will cause obstruction a blockage, pain, bloating,” Dr. Ostrov said.

Similar to allergies, flare-ups of Crohn’s can be seasonal and have a number of triggers.

"Certainly smoking cigarettes, stress, lack of sleep, stressful activity in your life can make it worse these."

A series of blood test can diagnose Crohn's and many patients can find relief by medication.

"The disease itself can be modified just like rheumatoid arthritis by drugs,” Dr. Ostrov said. “The pain can be made better the inflammation therefore diarrhea weight loss, cramps can be made better so you really bound and tied to the medicine for the rest of your life."

Click here  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/crohns-disease/DS00104   to learn more about the disease.