General description of the disease
Crohn’s disease Crohn’s disease) Is a chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract with the formation of internal granulomas, a change in the structure of the epithelium lining the intestinal wall. The disease most often affects the ileum, but in more severe cases, it can affect all parts of the intestine from the mouth to the anus. The disease is most widespread in the northern regions of America and Europe. Annually, this disease is diagnosed in 2-3 people per 1000. Clinical manifestations of Crohn’s disease begin to appear at about 15-36 years and after 60 years.
Only a coloproctologist or a gastroenterologist can identify the disease based on a patient survey and blood and feces tests, histology, abdominal palpation, ultrasound and MRI of the intestine, CT with contrast, X-ray, endoscopy and colonoscopy. Conservative treatment of the disease is carried out with antibiotics, steroids, probiotics, immunomodulators, vitamins and enzymes. In a severe course of the disease, surgical intervention is possible to transplant part of the intestine or the entire intestine.
Complications of Crohn’s disease can cause:
- multiple internal abscesses and fistulas;
- peritonitis;
- internal bleeding;
- ulcers;
- perforation;
- infections of neighboring organs (bladder, uterus, vagina) due to the ingress of pus into them through the fistulous passages.
Crohn’s disease is incurable and its recurrent symptoms can occur even 20 years after the last onset of symptoms.
Varieties of Crohn’s disease
Depending on the location, there are several main types of Crohn’s disease:
- defeat of the rectum and ileum – ileocolitis;
- defeat only the ileum – ileitis;
- damage to the rectum only – Crohn’s disease of the rectum;
- damage to the stomach and duodenum – gastrooduodenalitis;
- defeat of the jejunum and ileum – jejunoileitis.
Causes
- hereditary predisposition and genetic factors
- autoimmune diseases
- previous infectious diseases
Symptoms of Crohn’s Disease
Crohn’s disease has a number of characteristic external and internal symptoms. Most often, the internal manifestations of the disease can only be determined by hardware.
External symptoms:
- constant fatigue;
- undulating rise in temperature;
- weakness;
- false appendicitis;
- aching and cutting pain in the abdomen;
- vomiting, nausea, diarrhea (bowel movements 5 or more times a day);
- bloating;
- weight loss, anorexia;
- dryness and dullness of the skin, hair loss;
- pain after eating;
- conjunctivitis;
- aphthous stomatitis;
- monoarthritis and others.
Internal symptoms:
- a clear border between the affected and healthy areas of the intestine;
- thickening of the intestinal walls;
- the mucosa is covered with lumpy granulomas, has many cracks, ulcers and fistulas;
- the appearance of an intra-abdominal fistula or abscess;
- in the chronic course of the disease, scarring of the connective tissue and narrowing of the lumen is observed;
- violation of gastric absorption, in which nutrients and food are practically not absorbed;
- cirrhosis of the liver and its fatty degeneration, hololithiasis;
- cystitis, renal amyloidosis and others.
Healthy foods for Crohn’s disease
General recommendations
Crohn’s disease refers to a fairly serious chronic gastrointestinal disease, which is characterized by frequent exacerbations (up to 1-3 times a month). Therefore, during these periods, you should be especially careful about nutrition. Often, an exacerbation of the disease can be caused by the use of certain products that do not externally cause allergies in a person, but internally bring an aggravation of the disease and further spread of foci through the intestines.
To identify aggressive products, sometimes a course of bowel cleansing with liquid fortified and mineral-rich cocktails is prescribed for patients. Quite often, these can be dairy or lactose-free protein-protein drinks. So for 2 weeks, these drinks should be consumed (even during an exacerbation) with a multivitamin complex to support the body. Then they begin to gradually add food products to the diet in mashed, boiled or grated form. A new product should be introduced no more than every 3 days. If a product causes the main symptoms of the disease, then before using a new product, you should wait until the symptoms pass. This is a rather lengthy process, but quite effective, allowing almost completely to form the patient’s diet.
When all negative and positive products are identified, dietary food is prescribed separately for the period of exacerbation and remission. In Crohn’s disease, all food should be boiled, baked (not golden brown), or steamed, and should contain adequate amounts of protein, fat, and carbohydrates. If possible, it is necessary to wipe the food until puree. Meals should be in small portions, but at least 4-5 times a day.
Healthy foods and an example diet for Crohn’s disease
During an exacerbation, the diet should include:
- Vegetable soups with slimy porridge (barley, oatmeal) and mashed meat (turkey, quail, chicken)
- Fish and meat cutlets and steamed meatballs (minced meat should be skipped 3-4 times in a meat grinder with a fine sieve)
- Cereals, boiled and grated (rice, buckwheat, semolina, oatmeal)
- Eggs (quail and chicken) cooked in the form of a steamed omelet (no more than 1-2 pcs. Per day)
- Berries and fruits rich in tannins (bird cherry, blueberry, ripe pears, etc.) prepared in the form of jelly or jelly
- Fresh cottage cheese, mashed to a souffle, butter (in dishes no more than 20 g per day)
- Liquids 1,5-2 liters. (decoction of blueberries, rose hips, weak tea, cocoa in water)
- Unfried white bread rusks
When the condition improves (approximately for 4-5 days), add to the main food products:
- Stewed chopped vegetables (pumpkin, cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, potatoes, green peas)
- Lean fish in pieces (bream, pike perch, perch, cod), stewed or aspic
- Small boiled noodles
- Sweet food (marshmallow, jam, preserves, soufflé, baked apples)
- Raw berries and fruits (raspberries, strawberries, strawberries, peeled and pureed apples, plums, pears)
- Dairy products (acidophilus milk, 3-day kefir, low-fat cheese)
- Weak coffee with low fat cream
After another 5-6 days, diets continue to gradually add different foods to the diet. But at the slightest sign of illness (bloating, diarrhea, abdominal pain), the product is completely excluded.
Folk remedies for Crohn’s disease
During the period of treatment of the disease, you can use some recipes of traditional medicine.
Tincture of unopened sunflower caps will help relieve pain in the intestines. Chop the collected fresh caps (50-70 g), add alcohol and let it brew for 7 days. The finished tincture should be taken in 25-30 drops diluted in water (100 ml) every day before meals, but no more than 6 times a day.
In case of gas formation and putrefactive processes in the large intestine, a decoction of chamomile, sage, and yarrow should be taken. Take a half teaspoon of each herb, add water (250 ml), boil and let it brew for 2-3 hours. You need to take 1 tbsp. l. every two hours.
Dangerous and unhealthy foods for Crohn’s disease
With Crohn’s disease, foods that can irritate the intestinal mucosa and lead to an exacerbation of the disease are completely excluded. These are fatty, spicy, coarse, overcooked and salty foods, alcohol, strong tea and coffee, tobacco, fast food.
During an exacerbation, all legumes, pasta, factory sauces, spices, dairy products, cabbage, spinach, sorrel, turnips, radishes, beets, garlic, onions, mushrooms are excluded.
Remember that this disease is very dangerous and untimely access to a specialist causes serious complications, the result of which may be surgery or death.
Attention!
The administration is not responsible for any attempt to use the information provided, and does not guarantee that it will not harm you personally. The materials cannot be used to prescribe treatment and make a diagnosis. Always consult your specialist doctor!