Crohns Surgery
Unfortunately, a high percentage of Crohn’s disease patients have had surgery because of Crohn’s complications. Approximately 75% of patients with Crohn’s diagnosed in their small intestines will have had Crohns surgery within the first ten years.
Bowel resections to remove the diseased area is a very common surgery. Surgeons cut out the Crohn’s and then reattach the healthy ends of the intestine to each other and complete the surgery. A stricture can form by a narrowing of the bowel and may require a surgery called a strictureplasty.
Crohn’s treatment for abcesses and fissures may also necessitate surgery. A sad fact of Crohn’s shows that within the first five years after diagnosis, half of all children suffering from Crohn’s disease will require some form of Crohns surgery.
After Crohns surgery, a patient may go into remission and be lulled into a false sense of security. Unfortunately, studies show that in nearly half surgical patients, Crohn’s disease returns within three or four years. Some data has suggested that women have a significantly higher relapse rate than their male counterparts. On a more positive note, the rate of relapse doesn’t seem to be affected by a patient’s age or the amount time passed since the Crohn’s initial diagnosis.
Researchers are constantly studying new Crohn’s treatments to lower the rate of relapse after Crohns surgery. Crohn’s treatment involving medications after surgery to break this cycle of surgery and relapse are being tested. Of course, new drugs or combinations of drugs, are part of ongoing research and treatment to prevent the need for Crohns surgery in the first place.
Research Crohn’s Surgery: Stay Informed.
