Crohn’s Disease (Research Paper Sample)

Crohn’s Disease
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Crohn’s Disease
Introduction of disease
Crohn’s disease is a chronic, inflammatory disorder of the digestive tract. It causes the swelling of various tissues found in the digestive tract (Feuerstein & Cheifetz, 2017). As a result, it is accompanied by abdominal pain, fatigue, diarrhea, loss of weight, and malnutrition. The inflammation that is associated with Crohn’s disease can be found in various parts of the digestive tract but the most common area is the small intestines. In some people, the inflammation may spread into the bowel (Feuerstein & Cheifetz, 2017). This disease starts gradually but worsens over time. Crohn’s disease is more prevalent in developed nations particularly, Western Europe and North America. However, cases of Crohn’s disease are on the rise in South America and Asia (Feuerstein & Cheifetz, 2017). People who are notably affected by this disorder are whites as well as Ashkenazi Jews. There is an incidence of between 3 to 20 cases per every 100000 people in the population (Feuerstein & Cheifetz, 2017). Crohn’s disease affects more than 3 million in the USA (Feuerstein & Cheifetz, 2017). Crohn’s disease can affect anyone, both men and women but it's most prevalent in people aged 20-29 years and 40-60 years. Besides, women are affected by this disease more than men (Feuerstein & Cheifetz, 2017).
Etiology and risk factors
The exact etiology of this disease is unknown. However, substantial evidence shows that it may stem from undesired immune responses in the bowel as a result of environmental factors such as drugs, intestinal microbes, infections, toxins, as well as genetic factors (Indika & Hsu, 2022). Over 100 genes that are linked to this disorder have been