Abstract: Crohn’s disease is a chronic (long-term) inflammatory disease of the bowel (intestines). It primarily affects the small and large bowel, but can occur anywhere in the digestive tract. The inflammation causes uncomfortable and bothersome symptoms and may result in serious damage to the digestive tract. Abdominal pain, diarrhoea and weight loss are the most obvious symptoms. Making a definitive diagnosis is difficult, possibly requiring many different tests performed over a long period of time.
Crohn’s disease is one of the two major types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); the main difference between the two conditions is that, whereas Crohn’s disease can affect any part of the digestive tract, ulcerative colitis affects only the large bowel and the rectum.
The number of people with Crohn’s disease in New Zealand is not known but it has been estimated that nearly 17 in every 100,000 people in Canterbury have the disease, which is one of the highest reported rates in the world. Regional population differences may partially explain the high rate, as Crohn’s disease is more common in Caucasian people than in Maori or Pacific Island people.
Keywords: Crohn’s disease in New Zealand, intestines.
Title: Crohn's Disease
Author: Afraa Salama Alenezy, Woroud Mohammed Alharthi, Eida Mohammed Alharthi, Asmaa Fawzi Hijji, Rowa Fahad Arqasous
International Journal of Healthcare Sciences
ISSN 2348-5728 (Online)
Research Publish Journals
