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Crohn's Disease
(GS006)

Introduction


Crohn's disease (CD) is one of two distinct diseases known as inflammatory bowel disease (the other is ulcerative colitis). CD is a chronic inflammatory process that causes damage to the wall of the gastrointestinal tract. Women are affected 20% more often than men and the disease has a familial component. CD typically appears between the ages of 15 and 40 years. Also called ileitis or enteritis, the exact cause of CD is unknown, but some consideration has been given to the possibility of a viral, bacterial or immunological etiology.

Disease severity and the areas affected influence therapy selection. The goals of medical treatment are to minimize symptoms and complications, induce and maintain remission, improve nutrition and avoid surgical intervention. Some people have long periods of remission, sometimes years, when they are free of symptoms. However, the disease usually recurs at various times over a person's lifetime.

Most people are first treated with drugs that helps control inflammation. Other treatment modalities include lifestyle interventions as well as surgery.

MediFocus Guides... When You Need Trustworthy Medical Information


The Medifocus Guide on Crohn's Disease provides answers to the following important questions and medical issues:


What Your Doctor Reads:


This MediFocus Guide contains an extensive listing of citations and abstracts of recent journal articles that have been published about this condition in trustworthy medical journals. This is the same type of information that is available to physicians and other health care professionals. A partial selection of journal articles that are abstracted in this MediFocus Guide includes:


MediFocus Guides... When You Need Trustworthy Medical Information


MediFocus.com understands that consumers who are facing serious medical issues need access to credible, up-to-date medical information to help them make informed health-care decisions. That's why we've developed the MediFocus Guides...the most advanced and trustworthy patient research guides for over 200 chronic and life-threatening conditions. Each MediFocus Guide includes a detailed overview of the condition including information about diagnosis, treatment options, cutting-edge research, and new developments; excerpts of important journal articles from the current medical literature focusing on standard treatments and treatment options; a directory of leading authors and medical institutions who specialize in the treatment of the condition; and a listing of organizations and support groups where you can obtain additional information about the illness.

MediFocus Guides are the perfect solution for consumers who wish to gain an in-depth understanding of their medical issue and avail themselves of the same type of professional level medical information that is used by physicians and other health-care professionals to help then in the clinical decision making process.

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