Home Digestive system Is Crohn’s disease hereditary?

Is Crohn’s disease hereditary?

by Alivia Nyhan
Published: Last Updated on

Crohn’s disease is a disorder that affects the digestive tract and causes inflammation in different parts of it. Generally, this pathology involves the outer, inner part of the small intestine and the part of the beginning of the large intestine; however, it can appear anywhere in the digestive tract, from the mouth to the anus.

We are used to seeing diarrhea and abdominal pain as simple disorders. Still, it can be a sign that your body is going through a more severe complication, for example, Crohn’s disease. This is why you must consult your doctor before any abnormality.

If you want to know more about this pathology and wonder if Crohn’s disease is hereditary, FastlyHealwe wants you to know the answer.

Why Crohn’s Disease Occurs

As it is an alteration that occurs due to an autoimmune disorder, that is, when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy body tissue and destroys it, a specific cause is not known.

By not knowing what causes this pathology, it is expected that there is doubt as to whether Crohn’s disease is hereditary. The truth is that several specialists suspect that, yes, it is a disorder that can be hereditary because an alteration is transmitted in specific genes that cause sensitivity to some unidentified environmental elements. If this theory is correct, there is something in the environment that some people are sensitive to and causes this disease to develop. In this way, the immune system attacks the body and causes inflammation and irritation of the digestive tract.

However, even if there is a hereditary implication, it does not mean that all the descendants of the person with Crohn’s disease will present it; in fact, most children have a 5% probability of developing it, and it increases to 20%, approximately, if both parents suffer from it. This percentage is lower in other blood relatives, such as grandchildren and their descendants.

What factors are involved in the development of Crohn’s disease?

Although the cause of Crohn’s disease is uncertain, risk factors can play an essential role in this pathology, among which genes and family history stand out; for example, it is believed that people of Jewish descent have an increased risk of suffering from this alteration.

On the other hand, environmental factors, smoking, and the tendency of each body to react in different ways to normal bacteria in the intestines can also be factors that influence those who have Crohn’s disease.

What are the symptoms of Crohn’s disease?

The symptoms of Crohn’s disease depend on the part of the digestive tract that is affected. Also, these can range from mild to severe and be constant or come and go. Among the most common symptoms of this pathology you will notice:

  • Fever
  • Fatigue
  • Weightloss
  • inappetence
  • Diarrhea that may contain blood
  • Crampy abdominal pain in the belly area mainly
  • The feeling of needing to defecate can cause straining and pain.

Other symptoms, a little less common but which are also possible to be present, are:

  • The constipation
  • Rectal bleeding
  • Gums with blood
  • Red nodules on the skin that can develop into skin ulcers
  • Inflammation in the eyes
  • Drainage of pus or mucus around the anus
  • Joint discomfort and swelling
  • Mouth ulcers

Is Crohn’s disease curable?

Although there is no specific treatment for Crohn’s disease, patients must be under constant medical control since the symptoms can disappear at times and, at others, return is solid.

To help improve symptoms, the first thing to do is avoid malnutrition since there could be a loss of appetite due to the disorder and dehydration due to diarrhea that it can cause. Generally, consuming vitamin supplements and eating meals in small quantities are recommended. Also, you should avoid regularly consuming fiber, fat, sauces, or different foods that could cause stomach gas.

If you suffer from this disease, the doctor will evaluate whether to prescribe some drug, which can be anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, and suppressants of the immune system. If the symptoms become very severe, hospitalization and, in some cases, surgery to remove fistulas, connections between organs that should not be there, may be needed.

This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to Is Crohn’s disease hereditary? We recommend that you enter our Digestive System category .

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