Crohn Disease FAQs (cont.)
IN THIS ARTICLE
- What Is Crohn Disease?
- What Is Inflammation?
- What Are the Symptoms of Crohn Disease?
- Are the Symptoms Permanent?
- Why Is Crohn Disease so Serious?
- What Causes Crohn Disease?
- Who Gets Crohn Disease?
- What Is Inflammatory Bowel Disease, or IBD?
- How Do I Know Whether I Have Crohn Disease?
- How Is Crohn Disease Diagnosed?
- Is There a Treatment for Crohn Disease?
- Will I Have To Have Surgery for Crohn Disease?
- If I Have Surgery, Will I Have To Wear a “Bag”?
- What Is the Outlook for Me?
- Is it Possible To Lead a “Normal” Life With Crohn Disease?
- For More Information
- Web Links
- Synonyms and Keywords
- Authors and Editors
What Causes Crohn Disease?
We do not know what causes the abnormal inflammation in the digestive tract. Experts believe that it is caused by an unknown triggering event in susceptible people. We do not know what makes a person susceptible, except that about 20-30% of people with Crohn disease have relatives with the disease—in other words, Crohn disease runs in the family. In the other 70-80% of cases, there is no family connection. There is no evidence that stress or what you eat causes Crohn disease—although these factors can make the symptoms worse.
Next: Who Gets Crohn Disease? »
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Crohn Disease »
Crohn disease is an idiopathic, chronic, transmural inflammatory process of the bowel that often leads to fibrosis and obstructive symptoms, which can affect any part of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract from the mouth to the anus.
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