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What is it? - Crohn’s disease (also known as Crohn disease) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. It can occur all along the gastrointestinal tract.

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The GI - The gastrointestinal tract includes your mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and rectal region. Crohn’s disease happens most often in the ileum and colon.

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Causes - There are two main factors that can cause Crohn’s disease. First, it could be a genetic predisposition. If you have Crohn’s disease in your family, then you are much more likely to have it.

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Environmental factors - Scientists also think that your environment could be a cause. Factors such as diet, stress, how much you exercise, smoking, air pollution, childhood hygiene, and breastfeeding could all play a role in whether you develop Crohn’s disease or not.

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Dysregulated immune response - When there is a foreign pathogen in your body, your body’s immune system works to get rid of it. Therefore, when there are bacteria and viruses in your gastrointestinal tract, the immune system will cause the area to inflame in order to kill the foreign bodies.

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Dysregulated immune response - Usually, when the bacteria is disposed of by the immune system, the immune response turns off. However, with Crohn’s disease the immune system cannot turn itself off. It just keeps on making the infected area inflamed.

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Dysregulated immune response - The ulcers that were created by the immune response then stay instead of going away. This chronic inflammation is the source of Crohn’s disease symptoms.

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Symptoms - As mentioned, Crohn’s disease can appear anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, each patient may experience different symptoms. The most common are abdominal pain, usually in the area of the ileum.

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Symptoms - A second common symptom is diarrhea. This is because the colon and ileum can not absorb water due to inflammation. Instead, it just runs through your body. Other symptoms include weight loss, abdominal tenderness, loss of appetite, fever, fatigue, rectal bleeding, and skin tags and ulcers.

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Children - Crohn’s disease in children is a little different. The symptoms are more likely to be stunted growth and a failure to thrive. They are less likely to feel the other symptoms of Crohn’s disease.

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Other symptoms - Sometimes Crohn’s disease is indicated by non-gastric symptoms. These include joint pain, liver inflammation, osteoporosis, skin problems, eye problems, mouth ulcers, and anemia.

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Treatment - There is currently no cure for Crohn’s disease. However, it is possible to live a normal life with the condition. Doctors will usually prescribe medication as the first port of call.

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Medication - Effective medicines include anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, and immunosuppressant pills. The antibiotics are meant to control the gut bacteria and reduce the immune response that causes the inflammation.

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Surgery - It is also possible to get part of the gastrointestinal tract removed via surgery. However, the surgery will not cure the disease. In addition, there are many parts of the gastrointestinal tract that cannot be removed because they are biologically necessary to live.

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Pete Davidson -

'SNL' star Pete Davidson was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease when he was 17 years old. He used to cope with his pain by smoking medical marijuana, but managed to ween himself off drugs and found other ways to cope.

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Dwight Eisenhower (1890-1969) - Dwight Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States. He was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease while he was in office in 1956. He was hospitalized and underwent surgery to relieve the pain.

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Anastacia - Anastacia was an incredibly successful singer in the ‘90s with her songs ‘I’m Outta Love’ and ‘Sick and Tired.’ She was diagnosed when she was just 13 years old. She had to undergo surgery during her career and was even in a wheelchair after the operation.

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Shannen Doherty -

Shannen Doherty starred in shows such as ’Beverly Hills, 90210' and 'Charmed.' While she was working, she was also struggling with Crohn’s disease. She told the media that she had kept it a secret because she didn’t think it was a very attractive thing to talk about.

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Cynthia McFadden - Popular television journalist Cynthia McFadden has to deal with Crohn’s disease every day. She is an activist for the disease and is an example of how the disease does not have to set your life back.

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Dan O’Bannon (1946-2009) - O’Bannon co-wrote the book that was the basis for the film ‘Alien’ (1979),  for which he also wrote the screenplay. He used his experience with Crohn’s disease as inspiration for the film, especially for the bit where the alien bursts out from John Hurt’s chest.

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Mike McCready - McCreedy is best known for his role as lead guitarist in the band Pearl Jam. Throughout his whole career, he has battled Crohn’s disease and even had to run off stage once due to a pain attack. Nowadays he lives with the condition and is an activist for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America.

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Ben Morrison -

Comedian Ben Morrison managed to turn his experience with Crohn’s disease into material for his live show. He recounts his days as a teenager with Crohn’s disease in his act.

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George Steele (1937-2017) -

Also known as “The Animal,” Steele was a professional wrestler from the US. He was diagnosed in 1988 and subsequently stopped his career. Luckily, in 2002 his colon was removed and he managed to regain his health.

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Theoren Fleury - Fleury was an ice hockey star in his day. He even won a gold medal in the 2002 Winter Olympics. He was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 1995, but didn’t let it stop him from playing incredibly.

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David Garrard - Former football professional David Garrard played 12 seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars as a quarterback. In 2004, he was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. To relieve his symptoms, doctors performed surgery to remove almost a foot of his intestines. After this, he was fit as a fiddle again.

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Larry Nance Jr. - Professional basketball player Larry Nance Jr. was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease when he was only 16 years old. The medications Remicade and prednisone have changed his life for the better. He told the media that the afflicted should “never let it hold you back or limit your life in any way.”

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Carrie Johnson - Canoeing Olympian Carrie Johnson was a success despite her fight with Crohn’s disease. She experienced anemia, fatigue, and weight loss during her training and had to stop for a while. Nevertheless, she still made it to the 2012 Summer Olympics.

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Seantrel Henderson - Professional football player Seantrel Henderson has had a tough time with Crohn’s disease. In order to ease the pain of the disease and the two surgeries he had in relation to Crohn’s, he smoked prescribed medical marijuana. However, the NFL still suspended him from playing in 10 games. The NFL does not accept marijuana as an official medication for Crohn’s disease.

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Kevin Dineen -

Dineen was a professional ice hockey player and is now a coach. He was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 1987, and had to battle it all the way through his career.

Sources: (Medium) (Health.com)

See also: Stars who suffer from chronic illnesses

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