Crohn disease, also called regional enteritis or regional ileitis, chronic inflammation of the digestive tract, usually occurring in the terminal portion of the ileum, the region of the small intestine farthest from the stomach. Crohn disease was first described in 1904 by Polish surgeon Antoni Leśniowski. It was later named for American gastroenterologist Burrill Bernard Crohn, who in 1932, in collaboration with fellow physicians Leon Ginzburg and Gordon D. Oppenheimer, published a thorough description of a then-unknown intestinal disorder they called regional ileitis. Today, Crohn disease is characterized as a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and has been associated with abnormal function of the immune system and genetic variations. The disease also has been linked to abnormal changes in populations of intestinal bacteria. For example, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, a normal inhabitant of the human intestinal tract, is found in decreased levels in people with Crohn disease, and Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis, found in the intestinal tracts of ruminants affected by Johne disease, which is similar to Crohn disease in humans, has been isolated from the blood of some patients. However, despite these associations, the cause of Crohn disease remains unknown.
The most common symptoms of Crohn disease include diarrhea and abdominal pain. Rectal bleeding, fever, weight loss, arthritis, and anemia are indications of moderate to severe disease. Some patients develop fistulas, or abnormal passages connecting the bowel to other organs, such as the bladder or the vagina. These often lead to abscesses (pus-filled cavities within tissues). The formation of fistulas and the thickening of the intestinal wall—to the point of obstruction—are the only microscopic findings that distinguish Crohn disease from ulcerative colitis, the other type of IBD. In Crohn disease the maximum damage to the intestine occurs beneath the mucosa, and lymphoid conglomerations, known as granulomata, are formed in the submucosa. In addition, Crohn disease attacks the perianal tissues more often than does ulcerative colitis. Crohn disease is diagnosed by a combination of methods, including blood and stool analysis and colonoscopy. Diagnosis may be confirmed by other methods, such as barium enema, which uses X-rays to examine the intestine following rectal insertion of a liquid barium contrast agent, and capsule endoscopy, which examines the intestines via a pill-sized video camera that is swallowed by the patient and transmits images to sensors attached to the patient’s body as it passes through the digestive tract.
A combination of immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory drugs, including corticosteroids and aminosalicylic acid compounds, are used to treat Crohn disease. The drugs are effective both in treating acute episodes and in suppressing the disease over the long term. Depending on the circumstances, hematinics, vitamins, high-protein diets, and blood transfusions are also used. Surgical resection of the portion of the large bowel affected is often performed. The entire colon may need to be removed and the small intestine brought out to the skin as an ileostomy, an opening to serve as a substitute for the anus.