Eating small meals frequently instead of big meals may also help with a low appetite. A food diary may help with identifying foods that trigger symptoms. Despite the recognized importance of dietary fiber for intestinal health, some people should follow a low residue diet to control acute symptoms especially if foods high in insoluble fiber cause symptoms, e.g., due to obstruction or irritation of the bowel. Some find relief in eliminating casein (a protein found in cows milk) and gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye and barley) from their diets. They may have specific dietary intolerances (not allergies), for example, lactose. Fatigue can be helped with regular exercise, a healthy diet, and enough sleep, and for those with malabsorption of vitamin B12 due to disease or surgical resection of the terminal ileum, cobalamin injections. Smoking may worsen symptoms and the course of the disease, and stopping is recommended. Alcohol consumption can also worsen symptoms, and moderation or cessation is advised. Medication
Acute treatment uses medications to treat any infection (normally antibiotics) and to reduce inflammation (normally aminosalicylate anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids). When symptoms are in remission, treatment enters maintenance, with a goal of avoiding the recurrence of symptoms. Prolonged use of corticosteroids has significant side-effects; as a result, they are, in general, not used for long-term treatment. Alternatives include aminosalicylates alone, though only a minority are able to maintain the treatment, and many require immunosuppressive drugs.
Treating MAP using specific antibiotics that MAP may be susceptible to has been examined and the results are unclear but tentatively beneficial.Crohns is common in parts of the world where helminthic colonisation is rare and uncommon in those areas where most people carry worms. Infections with helminths may alter the autoimmune response that causes the disease. Trials of extracts from the worm Trichuris suis showed promising results when used in people with IBD. However, these trials (TRUST -I & TRUST -II) failed in Phase 2 clinical trials and were then discontinued after consistent failure in both North America and Europe.There is no good evidence that thalidomide or lenalidomide is useful to bring about or maintain remission. References
Further reading
Lichtenstein GR, Loftus EV, Isaacs KL, Regueiro MD, Gerson LB, Sands BE (April 2018). "ACG Clinical Guideline: Management of Crohns Disease in Adults". Am. J. Gastroenterol. 113 (4): 481–517. doi:10.1038/ajg.2018.27. PMID 29610508. External links
"Crohns disease". MedlinePlus. U.S. National Library of Medicine.