DefinitionBy Mayo Clinic staff CLICK TO ENLARGE |Colon and
rectum| Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
It causes inflammation of the lining of your digestive tract,
which can lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea and even
malnutrition. Inflammation caused by Crohn's disease can involve
different areas of the digestive tract in different people. The
inflammation caused by Crohn's disease often spreads deep into
the layers of affected bowel tissue. Like ulcerative colitis,
another common IBD, Crohn's disease can be both painful and
debilitating, and sometimes may lead to life-threatening
complications. While there's no known cure for Crohn's disease,
therapies can greatly reduce the signs and symptoms of Crohn's
disease and even bring about long-term remission. With
treatment, many people with Crohn's disease are able to function
well. - Crohn's disease. National Institute of Diabetes and
Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/crohns/Crohns.pdf.
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