Name
The disease was named after gastroenterologist Burrill Bernard Crohn, who in 1932, together with two colleagues at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, described a series of patients with inflammation of the terminal ileum of the small intestine, the area most commonly affected by the illness. Signs and symptoms
Gastrointestinal
Many people with Crohns disease have symptoms for years before the diagnosis. The usual onset is in the teens and twenties, but can occur at any age. Because of the patchy nature of the gastrointestinal disease and the depth of tissue involvement, initial symptoms can be more subtle than those of ulcerative colitis. People with Crohns disease experience chronic recurring periods of flare-ups and remission. The symptoms experienced can change over time as inflammation increases and spreads. Symptoms can also be different depending on which organs are involved. It is generally thought that the presentation of Crohns disease is different for each patient due to the high variability of symptoms, organ involvement, and initial presentation. Perianal
Perianal discomfort may also be prominent in Crohns disease. Itchiness or pain around the anus may be suggestive of inflammation of the anus, or perianal complications such as anal fissures, fistulae, or abscesses around the anal area. Perianal skin tags are also common in Crohns disease, and may appear with or without the presence of colorectal polyps. Fecal incontinence may accompany perianal Crohns disease. Intestines
The intestines, especially the colon and terminal ileum, are the most commonly affected areas of the body.
The yeast Candida albicans can live in people without producing symptoms, and is able to cause both superficial mild candidiasis in healthy people, such as oral thrush or vaginal yeast infection, and severe systemic candidiasis in those who cannot fight infection themselves.Diagnosis is generally based on signs and symptoms, microscopy, culture, sometimes requiring a biopsy and the aid of medical imaging. Some superficial fungal infections of the skin can appear similar to other skin conditions such as eczema and lichen planus. Treatment is generally performed using antifungal medicines, usually in the form of a cream or by mouth or injection, depending on the specific infection and its extent. Some require surgically cutting out infected tissue.Fungal infections have a world-wide distribution and are common, affecting more than one billion people every year. An estimated 1.7 million deaths from fungal disease were reported in 2020. Several, including sporotrichosis, chromoblastomycosis and mycetoma are neglected.A wide range of fungal infections occur in other animals, and some can be transmitted from animals to people. Classification
Mycoses are traditionally divided into superficial, subcutaneous, or systemic, where infection is deep, more widespread and involving internal body organs. They can affect the nails, vagina, skin and mouth. Some types such as blastomycosis, cryptococcus, coccidioidomycosis and histoplasmosis, affect people who live or visit certain parts of the world. Others such as aspergillosis, pneumocystis pneumonia, candidiasis, mucormycosis and talaromycosis, tend to affect people who are unable to fight infection themselves. Mycoses might not always conform strictly to the three divisions of superficial, subcutaneous and systemic.