Adults living with Crohns Disease essays

Adults living with Crohn's Disease essays Crohn's disease is a chronic, nonspecific, idiopathic gastrointestinal inflammatory disease first reported by Dr. Burrill Bernard Crohn in 1932 (Chen, 2000). Crohn's disease can attack any part of the digestive system from the mouth to the anus (Figure I), but most commonly affects the lower portion of the small intestine or the colon. Crohn's disease is a lifelong condition that may move in and out of remission. It presents with multiple complications, both from the disease process itself and from the drugs taken to induce remission. In persons with Crohn's disease, the gastrointestinal tract becomes inflamed and weak, making digestion difficult, leading to a variety of conditions often resulting in general physical debility (Life Extension, 2003). Crohn's disease affects men and women equally and seems to run in some families. About 20 percent of people with Crohn's disease have a blood relative with some form of Intestinal Bowel Disease (IBD) (NDDIC, 2003). Crohn's disease usually begins before age 35, with peak incidence between 14-24 (Chen, 2000). Although patients can treat the symptoms of Crohns Disease, at the present there is no cure, nor definitive cause. The most popular theory is that Crohns is an autoimmune response to a virus or bacterium causing inflammation (NDDIC, 2003). Inflammation occurs when the body's own immune system attacks a part of the intestine, further resulting in thinning of the bowel wall, leading to scarring, thickness, abnormal bowel function, and malabsorption of nutrients. Therefore, suppression of the inflammation is key to decreasing the injurious effects that the immune system inflicts on the Crohn's patient (Life Extension, 2003). The most common symptoms of Crohn's disease usually begin with ulcerations of the mouth, abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, rectal bleeding, anorexia and weight loss. As inflammation continues, patients may develop a palpable right lower quad...

Free Essays on Medicinal And Recreational Drug Use In The 20th Century

Medicinal and Recreational Drug Use in the 20th Century The 20th century spawned several cures for illnesses which have plagued mankind since the beginning of time. According to The History Channel’s website, in the 1800’s the average life expectancy was between 40 and 50 years old, but with the advances that medicine made in the 20th century those ages rose to nearly 80. In 1929 Dr. Alexander Fleming published his discovery of a drug called penicillin. Penicillin is a mold considered an antibiotic which prevents germs from reproducing. Fleming noticed that when coexisting with a colony of germs in a Petri dish the colony would not grow. This was a huge breakthrough in medical science for the 20th century. In 1938 Howard Florey, Ernst Chain and Norman Heatley refined the drug to make it usable for humans and to prevent infections from becoming dangerous. This so-called â€Å"Miracle Drug† prevented thousands of deaths during the Second World War by quickly killing bacterial infections soldiers got while in battle. Penicillin has also cured thousands of cases of pneumonia which until the time of antibiotics was a deadly virus. Amoxicillin is another form of penicillin which is often prescribed for infections of the tonsils or throat. In 1943 Selman Waksman discovered Streptomycin which was the first antibiotic effective against tuberculosis (TB ). The chance of dying from a bacterial infection today is only 1/20 of what it was in the early 1900’s because of the difference antibiotics. Over the counter drugs (OTC) are drugs that do not require a prescription to obtain. Generally such drugs are less powerful with smaller chances of side effects. Some common OTC drugs are often pain relievers (Antipyretic analgesics) such as Tylenol. Tylenol’s main ingredient is Acetaminophen which is found in fever reducers and pain relievers. Acetaminophen was approved by the FDA in 1951. Although side effects of this drug are not likely, t... Free Essays on Medicinal And Recreational Drug Use In The 20th Century Free Essays on Medicinal And Recreational Drug Use In The 20th Century Medicinal and Recreational Drug Use in the 20th Century The 20th century spawned several cures for illnesses which have plagued mankind since the beginning of time. According to The History Channel’s website, in the 1800’s the average life expectancy was between 40 and 50 years old, but with the advances that medicine made in the 20th century those ages rose to nearly 80. In 1929 Dr. Alexander Fleming published his discovery of a drug called penicillin. Penicillin is a mold considered an antibiotic which prevents germs from reproducing. Fleming noticed that when coexisting with a colony of germs in a Petri dish the colony would not grow. This was a huge breakthrough in medical science for the 20th century. In 1938 Howard Florey, Ernst Chain and Norman Heatley refined the drug to make it usable for humans and to prevent infections from becoming dangerous. This so-called â€Å"Miracle Drug† prevented thousands of deaths during the Second World War by quickly killing bacterial infections soldiers got while in battle. Penicillin has also cured thousands of cases of pneumonia which until the time of antibiotics was a deadly virus. Amoxicillin is another form of penicillin which is often prescribed for infections of the tonsils or throat. In 1943 Selman Waksman discovered Streptomycin which was the first antibiotic effective against tuberculosis (TB ). The chance of dying from a bacterial infection today is only 1/20 of what it was in the early 1900’s because of the difference antibiotics. Over the counter drugs (OTC) are drugs that do not require a prescription to obtain. Generally such drugs are less powerful with smaller chances of side effects. Some common OTC drugs are often pain relievers (Antipyretic analgesics) such as Tylenol. Tylenol’s main ingredient is Acetaminophen which is found in fever reducers and pain relievers. Acetaminophen was approved by the FDA in 1951. Although side effects of this drug are not likely, t...