Regional enteritis, commonly known as Crohn’s disease, is a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract. This disorder can affect any part of the digestive system but primarily targets the ileum, which is the final segment of the small intestine. Crohn’s disease is characterized by transmural inflammation, meaning it affects the entire thickness of the bowel wall, and can lead to complications such as strictures, fistulas, and abscesses.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Symptoms of regional enteritis vary widely and can include abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, and fatigue. These symptoms often fluctuate, with periods of exacerbation and remission. Diagnosing Crohn’s disease typically involves a combination of medical history, physical examination, and diagnostic tests such as endoscopy, colonoscopy, and imaging studies like CT scans or MRIs to visualize the extent and location of inflammation.
Treatment and Management
While there is no cure for Crohn’s disease, management focuses on reducing inflammation, alleviating symptoms, and improving quality of life. Treatment options include medications such as anti-inflammatory drugs, immunosuppressants, and biologics. In severe cases, surgical intervention may be necessary to remove damaged sections of the intestine or address complications.
Long-Term Outlook
Managing Crohn’s disease often requires a multidisciplinary approach involving gastroenterologists, dietitians, and sometimes surgeons. With appropriate treatment, many patients can achieve significant symptom relief and lead active lives, though the disease may persist in varying degrees throughout their lifetime.
Regional enteritis is Crohn’s disease, which is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Regional enteritis affects the ileum. It appears as chronic inflammation of the lining of the small and large intestine. There is inflammation of internal mucosa leading to diarrhea, dysentery and dehydration. The body’s immune system attacks the gastrointestinal tract. There is no cure for regional enteritis or Crohn’s disease. Corticosteroids may help to relieve the disease and medications such as methotrexate and thiopurine can arrest recurrence rates. Regional enteritis or Crohn’s disease is more prevalent in the developed world. Deep ulcers in the intestinal walls are instrumental for the cause of peritonitis, Crohn’s colitis, Crohn’s enteritis and terminal ileitis.
Causes Of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Environmental conditions
- Genetic and family history
- Smoking
- Microbes
Inflammatory Bowel Disease symptoms
- Chronic diarrhea
- Abdominal pain
- Fever
- Anorexia
- Weight loss
- Rectal bleeding
- Tenderness of abdomen
- Fatigue
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Diagnosis
Endoscopy: A colonoscopy helps in direct visualization of the ileum. It helps in identifying the pattern of disease. A biopsy may also be taken during this procedure.
Radiologic tests: The barium x-ray and barium enema are used to view the image of the bowel, looking for inflammation and narrowing of the bowel. Small bowels with enteroclysis protocols are evaluated using CT and MRI scans.
Blood tests: A CBC and ferritin levels explain if there is anemia, iron deficiency or B12 deficiency. ESR and C-reactive protein evaluate the amount of inflammation.