Original title: Why is Princess Kate’s suspected Crohn’s disease called “the immortal cancer”?
The British royal family recently issued a statement stating that Princess Kate, wife of Crown Prince William, has been admitted to hospital and has undergone successful abdominal surgery. Subsequently, the British media reported that Princess Kate may be suffering from Crohn’s Disease (CD).
This “wealth disease” that makes people slim and thin also has a terrible nickname – “immortal cancer”. What kind of disease is this? The author interviewed Chen Ning, deputy director and chief physician of the Department of Gastroenterology at Peking University People’s Hospital, who is committed to the clinical diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.
a disease that affects the entire digestive tract
Why did you choose such a name? In 1932, a doctor named Crohn published a series of scientific studies on “Crohn’s disease” and named it Crohn’s disease, which caused great repercussions in the academic community. Since then, this disease has come to people’s attention.
Before understanding Crohn’s disease, let’s first understand inflammatory bowel disease. This is a type of disease that causes inflammatory reactions (such as redness and edema of the intestinal mucosa) in whole or in part in the intestine Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease both belong to this category. People with Crohn’s disease will usually have systemic manifestations including abdominal pain, diarrhoea, weight loss, fever and fatigue, and may present with extra-intestinal damage to the joints, skin, eyes, oral mucosa, etc., and they can also suffer from Local perianal symptoms such as abscesses or fistula. Simply put, this disease affects the entire digestive tract, from the mouth, esophagus, stomach, to the small intestine, the large intestine, and the perianal area.
Crohn’s disease, Crohn’s disease, Crohn’s disease or granulomatous enteritis due to chronic, recurring long-term intestinal inflammation. It can occur anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract but is most common in the terminal ileum and right colon.
It is not the same as ordinary diarrhea
Isn’t it just a bad gastrointestinal condition and diarrhea? How is Crohn’s disease different from common intestinal infections? It’s definitely different. They are all different in terms of causes, symptoms, and treatments.
The early symptoms of Crohn’s disease are indeed very similar to those of intestinal infections, but intestinal infections are caused by a specific pathogen and can be cured quickly with symptomatic treatment targeting the pathogen. Crohn’s disease is a chronic, progressive disease whose exact cause is not yet fully understood. Symptoms may recur and treatment is relatively complex. It may be necessary to use immunosuppressants, antibiotics and other drugs, as well as nutritional support and surgical treatment. Treatment and prevention strategies need to be treated differently.
The symptoms of Crohn’s disease are varied and complex and share many similarities with other intestinal diseases, making it prone to misdiagnosis. The Department of Gastroenterology at Peking University People’s Hospital has a professional team that has been involved in the diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease for 30 years, as well as a multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment cooperation team, which can accurately identify Crohn’s disease.
This “wealth disease” prefers young people
Crohn’s disease prefers young people, especially white-collar youth. “Judging from clinical case data, Crohn’s disease has a relatively early age of onset, with the average age of patients being 15-25 years, and the incidence of men and women is similar.” Chief Doctor Chen Ning said that from a historical perspective, this disease The incidence rate varies around the world. It is more common in developed countries and regions of the West, and the first onset of the disease is more likely to occur among younger people.
However, in the past 20 years, with the continuous improvement of economic development and living standards, multiple data show that the incidence of Crohn’s disease in my country has been on a rapid upward trend, and the incidence of Crohn’s disease in rich areas, cities. , and white-collar workers are relatively high in poor and remote regions and manual workers are higher. Among them, a western diet such as fast food and hamburgers, smoking and a poor lifestyle have very obvious damage to the condition of Crohn’s disease.
In addition to such factors, the onset of Crohn’s disease is also affected by the interaction between multiple factors, such as heredity, environment, genes, and a low immune response, which makes it easy to relapse, requires for a long treatment period, and relatively. It has a significant impact on the patient’s life and economic status, so it is also called “affluenza’s disease”.
Not that I have no appetite, but I don’t absorb it.
People with Crohn’s disease have an excellent slim figure. It’s not that they don’t want to eat or can’t eat, but that they have too many taboos.
Crohn’s disease causes damage to the entire digestive tract, Although patients can eat food, due to intestinal inflammation and damage, the function of digestion and absorption of food is greatly reduced, ultimately leading to malnutrition. Children in the growth and development phase can also appear short in stature.
This requires patients to pay particular attention to dietary choices and intake patterns, and they need to follow a specific eating plan, also known as a Crohn’s disease diet – high nutrient, low residue, easily digestible foods to help manage symptoms, Reduce intestinal burden, promote intestinal healing, and maintain the body’s nutritional needs.
When drawing up a diet plan, it is best to consult a professional doctor or nutritionist for advice to ensure that the diet is reasonable and safe. It is usually recommended to choose foods that are light, soft, easy to chew and digest, such as thin noodles, porridge, soft bread, etc. You also need to choose foods that are rich in protein, such as fish, eggs, tofu, etc. ., to provide the nutrients your body needs.
Special reminder: Avoid rough foods or foods high in fiber that may increase intestinal burden, such as whole grains, nuts, celery, etc. You also need to avoid foods that could irritate the intestines or worsen inflammation, including high-fat foods, spicy foods, caffeinated drinks, carbonated drinks, etc.
Can surgery save ‘immortal cancer’?
The damage caused by Crohn’s disease to the intestinal tract progresses from shallow to deep, from small to large. From the ulcers in the early stage of the disease, it gradually affects the entire thickness of the intestinal wall , causing the intestinal wall to thicken and harden, and the intestinal lumen to narrow; Perforating lesions cause local abscesses or penetrate other intestinal segments, organs, and abdominal walls to form internal or external fistulas; while serosal cellulose leakage from the intestinal wall and chronic intestinal perforation can lead to intestinal. adhesions and intestinal obstruction. In severe cases, surgical treatment such as resection of diseased intestinal segments and a stoma is required. Because of its cyclical course, Crohn’s disease is also known as the “immortal cancer.”
According to the news, Princess Kate has successfully completed abdominal surgery. So, can surgery completely cure Crohn’s disease? Experts emphasize that surgical treatment is also a “double-edged sword” and patients need long-term medication and ongoing treatment. Once the drug is withdrawn or discontinued without authorization, inflammation can break out again, leading to serious adverse consequences such as colon perforation, fistula formation, abdominal abscess, intestinal obstruction complications, etc.
It should be noted that treating Crohn’s disease requires a comprehensive consideration of the patient’s condition, age, physical condition and other aspects in order to draw up a personal treatment plan. At the same time, patients also need to actively cooperate with doctors’ treatment suggestions and maintain good living habits and mindsets to improve treatment effects and quality of life.
Can inflammatory bowel disease caused by Crohn’s disease be cured if the medication cannot be stopped? The current answer is: No! We can consider patients with Crohn’s disease as patients with chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease and diabetes, and recognize that treatment is a long-term or even lifelong process.
This disease can greatly affect patients’ quality of life and mental health. In clinical practice, we often see some patients who are unwilling to disclose their illness because they are worried about being discriminated against or not being understood. . Not only family members and medical staff, we call on the public to take the initiative to care for them and understand them, respect their privacy and choices, provide support and assistance, improve public awareness through publicity and education , providing dietary advice and psychological support. , and encourage patients to take an active part in social interaction Activities… provide emotional support, informational support and social support through these measures, enabling patients to cope better with the disease, improve quality of life, and reduce discrimination and stress.
Text/Zhong Yanyu (Peking University People’s Hospital)
#Princess #Kates #suspected #Crohns #disease #called #immortal #cancer #Health #China #Engineering #Network
