preview

Crohn's Disease Analysis

Better Essays

Crohn’s Disease Many people take the efficiency of their digestive system for granted. Imagine having a bowel disorder that impacts your everyday life, by affecting your weight and hygiene, impacting the foods you are able to eat, decreasing your energy levels, causing severe colicky pain, at times making you feel awkward around others, and suddenly sending you to the bathroom in the middle of important events. Not only does it uncomfortably affect those aspects of a person’s life, but frequently becomes a serious health issue that if uncontrolled may land you in the hospital. Imagine having to take expensive medications everyday that are supposed to keep you from having your disorder flare up, but then those medications cause uncomfortable …show more content…

As the number of people over the age of 65 grows, so does the incidence of Crohn’s disease in that population. Crohn’s disease is already a difficult disease to manage, but in the elderly they may have more comorbidities and take more medications that make managing Crohn’s disease even more difficult. Because of lower thresholds for admitting older patients, increased likelihood of seeking medical care, increased adverse effects to medications, and more pre-existing comorbidities, older patients more likely to be hospitalized for Crohn’s disease (Ha & Katz, 2014). When older adults are hospitalized for any bowel disorder, it puts them at even higher risks for malnutrition, dehydration, infections including Clostridium difficile, and higher rates of other hospital related adverse events, such as thromboembolisms, pneumonia, and pressure sores (Ha & Katz, 2014). Crohn’s can be miserable for elderly patients, as they often do not have the resilience that younger patients have and do not usually bounce back as …show more content…

Patients with Crohn’s disease should avoid nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (Mayo Clinic, 2014). The side effects of NSAIDS are bowel irritation, which can make Crohn’s worse. They should also avoid fruits and vegetables, foods high in fat, dairy products, spicy foods, and carbonated beverages, as these are also very irritating to the bowel (Lippincott, 2011). They should also avoid stress and should practice good hygiene habits. To monitor for impending exacerbations, patients should monitor for blood in their stool, learn to recognize signs of infection, take their temperature daily, and monitor themselves for increased pain. The earlier increased inflammation is caught, the easier it is to

Get Access