Crohn’s Disease

Gastroenterology Appointments: 614-293-6255 Surgery Appointments: 614-293-3230

What is Crohn's disease?

Crohn’s disease is an immune-mediated inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract and can involve different areas of the digestive tract in different people. It occurs because of a dysregulation of the immune system, but the exact cause is unknown. There may be a genetic and hereditary component, although most people with Crohn’s disease don’t have a family history of the disease. It most commonly affects patients around the age of 13 to 40.  

Factors that may play a role in Crohn’s disease include:

  • Genes and family history; people of Eastern European (Ashkenazi) Jewish descent are at higher risk
  • Smoking
  • Microbiome (gut bacteria) changes
  • Other kinds of bacteria and viruses

Crohn’s disease symptoms

Diagnosing Crohn’s disease can be challenging. Symptoms don’t often associate with location or severity of bowel disease inflammation. Symptoms mimicking Crohn’s disease can be present without the actual disease being active, and active disease can be present with no or minimal symptoms.

The most common areas affected by Crohn’s disease are the last segment of the small intestines (ileum) and the large intestine (colon). Signs and symptoms of Crohn’s disease are often based on disease location and inflammation severity, and they can range from mild to severe. There are periods of no signs or symptoms (remission) as well as very active bowel symptoms (flare). With active disease, some signs or symptoms include:

  • Diarrhea
  • Weight loss/loss of appetite
  • Fever
  • Fatigue
  • Watery diarrhea, which may be bloody
  • Abdomen pain or cramping
  • Sores or swelling in the eyes
  • Draining of pus, mucus or stools from around the rectum or anus (fistula)
  • Joint pain and swelling
  • Mouth ulcers
  • Swollen gums
  • Tender, red bumps (nodules) under the skin, which may turn into skin ulcers

Crohn’s disease diagnosis

Your doctor will perform a physical exam to look for signs of Crohn’s disease. Blood and stool studies will be done to rule out other possible causes. Laboratory tests, imaging studies and endoscopic procedures will help provide a precise diagnosis.

Tests that diagnose and monitor flare-ups of Crohn’s disease and response to treatment include:

  • Upper endoscopy
  • Enteroscopy
  • Double or single balloon endoscopy
  • Video capsule endoscopy, “pill camera”
  • Colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy
  • Confocal laser endomicroscopy
  • CT enterography scan of the abdomen
  • MRI enterography of the abdomen
  • Endoscopic rectal ultrasound
  • Surgical exam 

Crohn’s disease treatment

There is no known cure for Crohn’s disease, but therapies can help control symptoms and improve inflammation to help achieve remission. Treatment strategies may include medications, diet/nutrition and surgery. 

Steroids may be used during the initial phase of a flare-up. However, while steroids may help you feel better quickly, they do not actually heal the bowel and are only a short-term option that should be replaced with appropriate long-term medications such as immune modulators and biologics. The Ohio State Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center has many active clinical trials that can be beneficial for Crohn’s patients.

Surgery for Crohn’s disease

Some people with Crohn’s disease may need surgery to remove a damaged or diseased part of the intestine.

Our Medical Providers

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Mark Arnold, MD
4.8 out of 5

Mark Arnold, MD

  • Colon and Rectal Surgery
  • General Surgery
  • Physician

Clinical Professor of Surgery

Accepting new patients
  • Martha Morehouse Outpatient Care
  • University Hospital
(614) 366-4272
Alan Harzman, MD
4.8 out of 5

Alan Harzman, MD

  • Colon and Rectal Surgery
  • General Surgery
  • Physician

Professor of Surgery

Accepting new patients
  • University Hospital
  • Outpatient Care Upper Arlington
  • General and Gastrointestinal Surgery in Outpatient Care Upper Arlington
  • General and Gastrointestinal Surgery in Outpatient Care Upper Arlington
(614) 366-4272
Samuel Akinyeye, MD
4.7 out of 5

Samuel Akinyeye, MD

  • Gastroenterology
  • Physician

Clinical Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine

Accepting new patients
  • Outpatient Care New Albany
  • East Hospital
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center Hilliard
  • University Hospital
  • Outpatient Care Dublin
  • Endoscopy in Outpatient Care Dublin
(614) 293-6255
Adeeti Chiplunker, MD
4.8 out of 5

Adeeti Chiplunker, MD

  • Gastroenterology
  • Physician

Clinical Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine

Accepting new patients
  • Outpatient Care New Albany
  • University Hospital
  • East Hospital
  • Outpatient Care Dublin
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center Hilliard
  • Endoscopy in Outpatient Care Dublin
(614) 293-6255
Emily Huang, MD

Emily Huang, MD

  • Colon and Rectal Surgery
  • Physician

Assistant Professor of Surgery

Accepting new patients
  • University Hospital
  • Martha Morehouse Outpatient Care
(614) 366-4272
Alessandra Gasior, DO
4.8 out of 5

Alessandra Gasior, DO

  • Colon and Rectal Surgery
  • General Surgery
  • Osteopathic Physician

Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery

Accepting new patients
  • Outpatient Care New Albany
  • University Hospital
  • Outpatient Care Upper Arlington
  • General and Gastrointestinal Surgery in Outpatient Care Upper Arlington
  • General and Gastrointestinal Surgery in Outpatient Care Upper Arlington
(614) 366-4272
Kenneth Allen, DO
4.9 out of 5

Kenneth Allen, DO

  • Gastroenterology
  • Osteopathic Physician
Accepting new patients
  • Outpatient Care New Albany
  • East Hospital
  • Outpatient Care Dublin
  • University Hospital
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center Hilliard
  • Endoscopy in Outpatient Care Dublin
(614) 293-6255
Jeffrey Wenzke, MD
4.8 out of 5

Jeffrey Wenzke, MD

  • Gastroenterology
  • Physician

Assistant Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine

Accepting new patients
  • Outpatient Care Dublin
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center Hilliard
  • Endoscopy in Outpatient Care Dublin
(614) 293-6255
Lisa Cunningham, MD
4.9 out of 5

Lisa Cunningham, MD

  • Colon and Rectal Surgery
  • Physician

Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery

Accepting new patients
  • Outpatient Care Upper Arlington
  • East Hospital
  • Outpatient Surgery in East Hospital
  • General and Gastrointestinal Surgery in Outpatient Care Upper Arlington
(614) 366-4272
Amber Traugott, MD
4.9 out of 5

Amber Traugott, MD

  • Colon and Rectal Surgery
  • Physician

Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery

Accepting new patients
  • Outpatient Care New Albany
  • University Hospital
  • General and Colorectal Surgery in Outpatient Care New Albany
(614) 366-4272
Emily Winkle, APRN-CNP
4.9 out of 5

Emily Winkle, APRN-CNP

  • Internal Medicine
  • Nurse Practitioner
Accepting new patients
(614) 293-6255
Antoinette Pusateri, MD

Antoinette Pusateri, MD

  • Gastroenterology
  • Physician
Accepting new patients
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center Hilliard
  • Outpatient Care New Albany
  • East Hospital
  • Outpatient Care Dublin
  • University Hospital
  • Endoscopy in Outpatient Care Dublin
(614) 293-8054
Mackenzie Verhoff, APRN-CNP
4.9 out of 5

Mackenzie Verhoff, APRN-CNP

  • Internal Medicine
  • Nurse Practitioner
Accepting new patients
(614) 293-6255
Matthew Kalady, MD
4.9 out of 5

Matthew Kalady, MD

  • Colon and Rectal Surgery
  • General Surgery
  • Physician

Professor of Surgery

Accepting new patients
  • University Hospital
  • Martha Morehouse Outpatient Care
(614) 366-4272
Jacob Skeans, MD
4.9 out of 5

Jacob Skeans, MD

  • Gastroenterology
  • Physician

Assistant Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine

Accepting new patients
  • Outpatient Care New Albany
  • East Hospital
  • Outpatient Care Dublin
  • University Hospital
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center Hilliard
  • Endoscopy in Outpatient Care Dublin
(614) 293-6255
Syed Husain, MBBS

Syed Husain, MBBS

  • Colon and Rectal Surgery
  • General Surgery
  • Physician

Clinical Professor of Surgery

Accepting new patients
  • Martha Morehouse Outpatient Care
  • Outpatient Care New Albany
  • University Hospital
(614) 366-4272
Madalina Butnariu, MD
4.7 out of 5

Madalina Butnariu, MD

  • Gastroenterology
  • Physician

Associate Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine

Accepting new patients
  • Outpatient Care New Albany
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center Hilliard
  • East Hospital
  • Outpatient Care Dublin
  • Endoscopy in Outpatient Care Dublin
(614) 293-6255

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