Medical Questions » Gut (Intestines) Questions » Question No. 435
| Question: | After many years of recurring tummy pains, my mother has been told she has Crohn' s disease. Is it stress related? |
| Answer: | Crohn' s disease is caused by an excessive overgrowth of the tissue around one part of the small intestine. The wall of the gut at this point becomes greatly thickened and can narrow the hollow inside the gut, restricting the passage of food. This causes the severe colicky pain that sufferers experience, and can at times, completely block the gut, causing a medical emergency.
The disease can be treated by a number of medications including steroids but these usually only give temporary relief. Patients with recurrent symptoms require surgery to remove the offending section of intestine. Unfortunately, up to 60% of cases relapse after surgery, and repeated operations every few years are sometimes necessary.
A high-fibre diet is rhe only effective preventative measure. 1 am not aware of any connection between stress and the original cause of Crohn' s disease (which is unknown), but it is likely that stress could precipitate an acute attack in a patient who already has the disease.
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