Diplomate, Board Certification of Emergency Medicine
Chairman, Department of Emergency Medicine Ma'ayenei
Hayeshua Hospital
We have been discussing autoimmune disorders, that is
disorders that are caused by the body attacking itself for
reasons that are unclear to us. The body looks at certain
materials or cells as foreign invaders and attacks them.
Almost all of these diseases commonly affect the joints.
Two of these diseases are coupled under the heading of
inflammatory bowel disease or IBD. They are ulcerative
colitis and Crohn's disease. This latter, and to a lesser
extent the former as well, are Jewish diseases. In fact,
Crohn's disease is 8 times more common in Ashkenazi Jews
than any other people.
Both diseases cause pain and diarrhea, often mixed with
blood. Ulcerative colitis only affects the large bowel, but
Crohn's disease can affect any part of the gastrointestinal
tract. The body's own attack of the bowel is vicious -- it
can cause perforations of the bowel wall from the intense
attack as well as obstructing the bowel; or causing massive
bleeding, pain, fever, or even eating its way through to
other organs or even through the skin. Most commonly,
however, there are episodes of pain and vomiting which often
require hospitalization. What is of interest is that these
diseases can cause effects far from the bowel, including
their own brand of arthritis, skin nodules and mouth ulcers.
Crohn's can affect the eye.
The treatment for acute cases is usually steroids and
aspirin enemas. An antibiotic is occasionally used, and in
the case of Crohn's is very important. Drugs that are used
in transplants to prevent the body from attacking itself are
used.
People with these diseases can suffer during attacks but can
live a normal life in between episodes. While there is an
increased risk of cancer is ulcerative colitis, most people
with these diseases live normal life spans. Write me in care
of the Yated.
A message from Glaxo, sponsor of this column.
Suffering from the flu? If you didn't get the flu shot,
Relenza can save the day. You'll recover a lot faster.
