Crohn's disease - Kids & Teens
Treatment plan for Crohn's disease
Treatment options for Crohn's disease -
Your treatment plan
Crohn's disease
can affect different people in different ways. One person with
Crohn's disease may get better without needing to take medicine
every day, while someone else may be so ill that they need to have
surgery right away. That is why your plan is just for you,
based on your situation and how your Crohn's disease is affecting
you.
Your treatment
plan will be based on four things:
-
How ill your
Crohn's disease makes you feel
-
Your health
in general and any medicines you have tried in the past
-
How your
illness is likely to affect you in the future (called
'prognosis')
-
Your
personal needs, wishes and expectations
How can treatment help?
Medicine or
surgery for Crohn's disease helps to:
-
Treat a
flare-up of symptoms quickly
-
Keep you
free from having any symptoms (remission)
-
Identify
people who need to have surgery
-
Make sure
you are getting proper nutrition
-
Consider any
special needs of people in the hospital or getting care at home
Weigh the benefits and risks for any approach
When you are
unwell, the goal is to get you feeling better as quickly as possible
- what doctors call 'induction of remission'. Once you are feeling
better, the next goal is to keep you free from symptoms for as long
as possible. That is called 'maintenance'.
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Severity of Crohn's disease
Your doctor will talk to you about whether your illness is
considered mild, moderate or severe. The following guidelines are
often used:
Mild
<4
runny stools per day
Little or no bleeding
No signs of systemic effects (eg, fever, raised pulse or blood
counts)
Moderate
4-6
runny stools per day
Moderate bleeding
Some signs of systemic effects (eg, fever, raised pulse or blood
counts)
Mild disease that does not respond to treatment
Severe
>6
runny stools per day (often at night)
Severe bleeding
Signs of systemic effects (eg, fever, raised pulse or blood counts)
Signs
of malnutrition
Weight loss in excess of 10% of your weight when well
Some people with mild Crohn's disease may have a few flares that
require treatment in their lifetime, whereas others with more severe
illness may find they need care continuously that may include
surgery or long term treatment to keep symptoms under control.
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