Crohns disease is an inflammatory disease that primarily affects the small and large intestine, but can be present in other parts of the digestive tract. The disease was named after an American gastroenterologist, Burrill Crohn, who was the first to describe the disease.

Crohns disease usually affects people in their teens or twenties, but there are cases where patients are struck with the disease later in life. The symptoms and severity of the disease vary from person to person.

At present, there are no medications that can cure Crohns disease. Most patients experience periods of relapse followed by periods of remission that can last months or even years. During remissions the symptoms like abdominal pain, diarrhea and rectal bleeding are lessened. The improvements in symptoms are usually brought about by prescription medications or surgery. There are cases, where without treatment, the Crohns goes into remission. No one knows why.

The goals of treatment are to bring about a remission, maintain it, minimize side effects from medications, and help to improve the overall quality of life of the patient. The medications for treating Crohn's disease include anti-inflammatory agents such as the 5ASA compounds, corticosteroids, topical antibiotics and immuno-modulators.

Crohns Disease Medications

Crohns disease medications include anti-inflammatory drugs that are intended to decrease intestinal inflammation; the way arthritis medications reduce joint inflammation. The different types of anti-inflammatory medications used to treat Crohns disease are:

1. 5-ASA compounds such as sulfasalazine (Azulfidine) and mesalamine (Pentasa, Asacol, Dipentum, Colazal, Rowana enema, Canasa suppository) are used directly on the inflamed tissue.

Sulfasalazine is a prodrug that isnt active in its ingested form. It is usually broken down by bacteria in the colon to create two byproducts 5aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) and sulfapyridine. No one is sure which of these byproducts is responsible for the activity of azulfidine. The 5-ASA is known for its therapeutic benefit, though its not clear whether sulfapyridine offers any additional benefit.

5 aminosalicylic acid and sulfapyridine work as anti-inflammatory agents that treat the inflammation in the colon. The effectiveness is believed to be due to the local effect on the bowel, however there are also some beneficial systemic immune suppressant effects as well.

But like any medications 5-ASA is not without side effects. Some of the side effects are very frequent gastrointestinal disturbances. Nausea, vomiting, gastric distress and anorexia occur in about one out of every three patients. Likewise dizziness may also occur during but should be of little concern unless it becomes persistent.

There are also some less common side effects such as a drop in white blood cell counts or a type of anemia that happens more often in patients with arthritis. The chance of developing these side effects is about 6 out of every 10,000 patients. Some other rare, but possible side effects include fever, pale skin, sore throat, fatigue and unusual bleeding or bruising. If you experience any of these, you will likely be taken off the medication.

Additional side effects include headache, allergic reactions and photosensitivity. These side effects require medical attention since allergic reactions can cause difficulty swallowing, blistering, peeling, loosening of the skin, aching joints and muscles as well as unusual tiredness or weakness.

2. Corticosteroids act systematically without requiring direct contact with the inflamed tissue. These medications are used to decrease inflammation throughout the body. These drugs also have important, and dangerous side effects, if taken for long periods. You doctor can advise you best on this.

There are new classes of topical corticosteroids that are applied directly to the inflamed tissue. These new drugs have much fewer side effects compared to systematic corticosteroids.

3. Antibiotics such as metronidazole (Flagyl) and ciprofloxacin (Cipro). These medications decrease inflammation by unknown mechanisms.

Metronidazole is effective in killing anaerobic bacteria as well as certain parasites. Anaerobic bacteria is single a cell organism that lives in low oxygen environments, and causes disease in the abdomen, liver and pelvis. In terms of parasites, giardia lamblia and ameba are parasites that cause abdominal pain and severe diarrhea in most patients. The metronidazole blocks some of the cell functions of these parasites resulting in their demise.

Serious side effects of metronidazole are rare, but include seizures and damage to nerves that brings numbness as well as tingling in the extremities. If you have these side effects, contact your doctor at once, youll need to stop taking this medication.

If you suspect you have Crohns disease, you should first consult your primary care physician before taking other steps. Careful diagnosis and monitoring are the key to living comfortably with Crohns.