As a long time Crohn’s patient, I am often sought out for advice on handling the disease by newly diagnosed patients and their families. And while awareness of Crohn’s is much greater than it was twenty years ago, most people really don’t understand much about the disease or the way it impacts a patient’s life. so I’ve decided to write a four-part document that hopefully explains to new Crohn’s patients and the general public what to expect and how to cope. these posts cover the medical symptoms tips for patients living with the disease and tips for people who know someone living with Crohn’s.

In this post, I’ll cover symptoms.

Crohn’s Disease is, without a doubt, one of the more debilitating medical conditions around right now. For those unfamiliar with it, Crohn’s is an auto-immune disorder that affects the digestive tract. Symptoms include weight loss, frequent (and often uncontrollable) bowel movements, diarrhea, nausea, bloating, intestinal discomfort and pain (which can mimic appendicitis) and fatigue. Symptoms also include the typical aches, pains and fevers usually associated with the flu. Because it is an auto-immune disease, people with Crohn’s often find themselves later developing other auto-immune disorders – for instance, I have rheumatoid arthritis and developed hay fever about 7 years ago. I’ve met other patients who developed even more severe types of auto-immune disorders, such as lupus.

Very little is really understood about Crohn’s. nobody knows why it occurs – there seems to be a genetic factor (an extra gene is found in about 90% of Crohn’s patients), but nothing has been completely ruled out. Ethnicity, diet and activities all may be related – or maybe not. likewise, there isn’t a cure. what has advanced since I was first diagnosed 20 years ago is understanding how the disease functions and causes other functions of the body to stop. that has led to better treatment options and generally, a better quality of life for those of us affected. once, the disease was thought more prevalent in women than men, but the rates of affliction, once adjusted for populations, are actually about the same. Almost every ethnic group is affected, although peoples of Asian and African descent have lower incidence rates than Caucasians.

Odds are if you’re a new patient, then you are in the 16-25 year old range: this is when about 80% of new cases are first diagnosed. (I was 6 weeks shy of my 26th birthday when first diagnosed). that being said, new cases are diagnosed in every age group. since I’ve no personal experience with pediatric Crohn’s, I won’t pretend to offer advice for anyone looking for information about Crohn’s and young children.

Symptomatically, Crohn’s is similar to Ulcerative Colitis. The similarities often confuse a person only cursorily aware of both conditions, which often leads to them confusing the two. I’ve had past co-workers and current friends often assume that because Crohn’s and UC are related and so similar symptomatically, that they are the same. but when I’ve had severe flare-ups of the disease, they are often shocked when they come visit and find me hooked up to dozens of tubes and wires, all needed to keep me alive and stable.

The symptoms are where the similarities end. both cause ulcerations (inflamed areas) to appear in the colon, but the ones from Crohn’s disease burrow deeper into the tissue and can appear anywhere in the digestive tract. In my particular case, the upper palate, gums, a section of the small intestine called the duodenum and another called the ileum are affected in addition to two spots in my large intestine and another in my colon. Another big difference: in severe cases of colitis, a type of surgery called an ostomy can be performed, curing the disease (although at a high price). For some severe cases of Crohn’s usually where the tissue is badly damaged), surgery is also done – but removing the affected areas doesn’t cure the disease. It will reappear in another area of the GI tract.

Since Crohn’s patients generally have difficulty digesting food, it isn’t uncommon to find them malnourished even when relatively symptom free (by the way, those of us in the Crohn’s community generally refer to these periods as being in remission). Unfortunately, the type of malnutrition can vary from patient to patient. The reason is because so many different parts of the digestive tract are affected and each part is responsible for processing different nutrients. regardless, the malnutrition is a major contributor to all types of related problems. since each part of the body relies on the digestive system to function properly, people with Crohn’s often suffer from other system breakdowns. Their hair, skin and nails can become dry and brittle; they may suffer anemia, dehydration, high blood pressure, osteoporosis – the list includes virtually every other organ in the body. Add in the side-effects from long-term use of some of the more common medications used to treat Crohn’s, and the results can be even more system breakdowns. For example, the use of Mesalamine drugs can lead to excessive (and particularly foul smelling gas). as for myself, repeated exposure to very high doses of corticosteroids has resulted in cataracts and osteopenia (the precursor to osteoporosis). The calcium deficiency from my Crohn’s along a Crohn’s inflammation in my upper palate and the drug cocktail I’m on, resulted in my losing all of my teeth before I was 30 (although, my dentures look damn good!).

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Allergies can be horrible. If you suffer from hay fever, then every spring time when the pollen count is high, you suddenly find yourself a mess. Your eyes are red and scratchy, your nose is always runny, and you feel like somebody has poured sandpaper down your throat. it can be unbearable at times. however, there are some basic things you can do to relieve your symptoms, things you’ll learn in this very article.

First of all, there are many sources of allergies. Pollen is the most common type, with many people responding to high levels of pollen in the air during spring time. another big source of allergies is from pets, such as dogs and cats.

Histamine is actually the main culprit in allergy symptoms. Your runny nose, dry cough, and itchy eyes are all because your body is producing histamine. This is one of the many chemicals that your body uses to fight off invaders. the stronger the invading for, or the more the amount of pollen or dry animal skin, the more histamine is produced.

When you buy a popular over the counter medication for allergy relief, you are likely buying an anti-histamine. This is a drug that inhibits your body’s natural production of histamine. This works great in reducing your allergy symptoms, but does come with some potential side effects, such as increased blood pressure, nervousness, and perhaps sleeplessness.

Making sure you stay healthy can do a good job of increasing your body’s natural resistance to those particles floating around, so you don’t have such a strong histamine reaction. This means you’ll feel less allergy symptoms. in order to stay healthy, make sure to eat a balanced diet filled with vitamins and minerals.

Many suspect that certain foods can greatly influence how you are affected by these allergy causing particles. these are foods that contain gluten, most dairy products, and many processed carbohydrates. If you avoid these foods, you may very well see a decrease in your allergic symptoms over time.

Of course, the best way to cure your allergies for good is to try a combination of over the counter medication, some healthy living, and healthy eating. That way you can enjoy life as much as possible.

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One of the most common causes of allergies that exhibit hay-fever like symptoms are pet allergies and among these cat allergy is the most common kind. Cat allergy is the reaction of the human immune system to the saliva or cat pelt.Diagnosis The saliva is present on the fur of the cat as a result of grooming, which is why most people mistakenly believe that it’s the fur they are allergic to. Cat allergy can be irritating in the least but in worse cases, it can lead a person into a life threatening situation.how will you be reacting to a cat allergy, you will have watery swelled up eyes. The cat allergens can spread over long distances and float in the air so having a pet cat may really not be the key indicator that you should be looking for. The swelling and other symptoms will reduce once histamine containing eye drops are taken, or t buy cplex 60 he person removes the source of the allergy.Cat allergy can also induce asthma like conditions like coughing and wheezing. Coming into contact with the allergens, cat saliva or pelt, can cause blockage of the airways. this leads to coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath.Allergies are often treated with the help of antihistamines. In the event that these antihistamines don’t help the allergic person, doctors might recommend immunotherapy. Immunotherapy seeks to develop the individuals resistance to the allergens, and the task is achieved by exposing the allergic person to them for prolonged periods of time. since this may be dangerous as well, the immunotherapy is carried out under strict doctor’s observation, so you really should think of treating yourself on this one.an alternative method of dealing with cat allergy is acupuncture.