Living With Crohns Disease

An open sore in the digestive tract, primarily occurring in the lower esophagus, stomach, or duodenum (the first part of the small intestine) is called an ulcer. In those living with Crohns disease, this problem occurs when inflammation in any of these areas causes the lining of the tract to become damaged.

Normally, the stomach acts upon food that is eaten by breaking it down using acids that are secreted. The muscles of the stomach toss the food around and essentially mix it with these acids to cause this process to happen within a matter of hours.

The lining of each area that is usually exposed to stomach acid forms a protective barrier against the corrosive matter itself. When the lining is damaged, however, the effectiveness of this shield is also reduced, and therefore can cause acids to begin to digest the exposed flesh itself. In some cases, a bacteria called H. pylori acts on this area by working its way through the weakened protective lining and attaching itself to the wall of the stomach.

I realize this sounds like a pretty gruesome picture, but the fact is that this can happen in Crohn’s affecting the stomach because the body triggers this inflammatory reaction on its own. Ulcers can be caused by several other factors outside of Crohn’s disease, including the use of painkillers like NSAIDs including aspirin and ibuprofen, consuming excessive amounts of caffeine, and smoking.

Ulcers may induce symptoms of burning pain in the lower middle chest, including nausea, weight loss, loss of appetite, and vomiting - sometimes with blood present in the vomit. Recommended treatment for ulcers includes lifestyle changes, antibiotics, mucosal protective agents (antacids like Tums, Rolaids, and Pepto Bismol), and acid suppression methods including acid reducer medications (Zantac, Pepcid, etc.) and proton-pump inhibitors like Prilosec.