Ulcerative Colitis And Crohn's Disease
Several years ago we had a boy in our church youth group with Ulcerative Colitis. A couple years later his cousin had Crohn's disease.Now we have yet another boy in our youth group with Ulcerative Colitis.
He had a series of three surgeries last year in which his large intestine (colon) was removed. Now his immune system is in tough shape, and he can't be in school. So I'm tutoring him in mathematics.
I was supposed to tutor him today, but his mother called to say we couldn't because he has to go back to the hospital (Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine). Oddly enough, another boy I know with Crohn's had to be flown to Boston to a hospital because of frighteningly low blood pressure.
But what really puzzles me is, up until that first boy I mentioned, I had never heard of either Crohn's or Ulcerative Colitis. Now it seems that everyone has one or the other.
What are UC and Crohn's? Well, they are similar, and both are referred to as Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (or IBD).
Here's a description of Ulcerative Colitis, which comes from National Association for Colitis and Crohn's Disease website (an association in the UK):
Quote:
| ...affects the rectum and sometimes the colon (large intestine). Inflammation and many tiny ulcers develop on the inside lining of the colon resulting in urgent and bloody diarrhoea, pain and continual tiredness. The condition varies as to how much of the colon is affected. In addition, UC can cause inflammation in the eyes, skin and joints. |
And Crohn's Disease? The same website says:
Quote:
| It can affect anywhere from the mouth to the anus but most commonly affects the small intestine and/or colon. It causes inflammation, deep ulcers and scarring to the wall of the intestine and often occurs in patches. The main symptoms are pain in the abdomen, urgent diarrhoea, general tiredness and loss of weight. Crohn’s is sometimes associated with other inflammatory conditions affecting the joints, skin and eyes |
Posted On Apr 21, 2005 at 1:32 PM
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