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Crohn’s disease is one of the types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It is characterized by chronic inflammation of the gut, resulting in recurrent attacks of diarrhea with/without bloody stools, abdominal pain, fever, or ulcers in the mouth that do not resolve with routine treatment and lead to severe health problems. It can affect any part of our gut, from the mouth up to the anus, and involves all the layers (deep) of the gut lining. It leaves small parts of the intestine unaffected, called the skip lesions, and can cause complications like strictures, obstruction, fistulas, anal ulcers, gut cancer, etc.
The main cause is unknown, although genetics, immunity and environmental factors are thought to play a role. It affects cigarette smokers twice more likely than nonsmokers. Apart from the gut, it can affect other body parts like the eye, joints, and skin, resulting in conditions like uveitis, arthritis, skin nodules, rashes, etc.