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Crohn's Disease

How to pronounce it: Crohn's - crohnz

AiArthritis defines Crohn's Disease as:

Crohn’s Disease is a chronic condition that causes inflammation in the digestive tract, especially in the small and large intestines.


Crohn’s Disease is a type of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and is often paired with Ulcerative Colitis as the most common types of IBD. Crohn’s Disease is under the AiArthritis umbrella with arthritic symptoms.

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Symptoms & Characteristics

Common in All AiArthritis Diseases

Flares: Periods of worsening symptoms are called flares. A flare can last for hours, days, weeks, or months.


Physical Activity: Condition improves with activity and exercise and worsens with rest.


Comorbidities: When inflammation is left uncontrolled due to lack of proper treatment, comorbidities can develop. 70% of patients with chronic, lifelong disease will develop comorbidities, including dual or triple diagnoses.


Family History: Autoimmune diseases often run in families, indicating a potential genetic predisposition where that gene can cause disease. Autoinflammatory diseases can occur multiple times in a family, but is based off of genetic mutation. It is not a gene that causes the disease— but a mutation on the gene that can cause the disease which can then be passed on to the next generation.

"Auto" Symptoms

Fatigue: Severe fatigue or exhaustion that may not be helped by caffeine/stimulants and can happen even after a long period of rest.


Cognitive Dysfunction: Brain fog  or periods of time where thinking gets clouded and it becomes difficult to concentrate.


Flu-like symptoms: Without having the flu- nausea, muscle weakness, and general malaise.


Fever: Typically low grade in autoimmune (with exception of juvenile idiopathic arthritis) and higher grade in autoinflammatory (% strongly varies per disease).


Reference: Early Symptoms of AiArthritis Study, AiArthritis, 2019.


View Early Symptom Study

Inflammatory Arthritis Symptoms

Stiffness: Severe stiffness in one or more joints, especially in the morning or after sitting for long periods of time. 


Joint Pain: Episodes of joint pain that may last for hours, days, or even weeks, that can appear and disappear suddenly. Often described as “jumping pain” into different locations.


Typically the joint pain will coincide with one or more “Auto” symptoms and start and stop suddenly - for no apparent reason (which is called a "flare"). Some people will experience all of the above symptoms, others only a few.


 If you have any of the arthritis features, and at least one of the “Auto” features, please consult your physician about a referral to a specialist.


Symptoms Often Associated with Crohn's Disease

  • Persistent diarrhea
  • Abdominal pain and cramping
  • Blood in your stool
  • Mouth sores
  • Reduced appetite and weight loss
  • Urgent need to move bowels
  • Delayed growth and development in children
  • Eye complications: redness or pain in the eyes, or vision changes
  • Skin complications: bumps, sores, or rashes
  • Loss of normal menstrual cycle
  • Osteoporosis
  • Kidney stones

  • Diagnosing Crohn's Disease

    There’s no single test that can confirm a Crohn’s disease diagnosis, so gastroenterologists use a combination of physical exams, blood and stool tests, imaging (like X-rays or MRIs), and a family history of autoimmune or autoinflammatory disease. Colonoscopies and upper endoscopies are key tools used to examine the gastrointestinal tract in detail, allowing doctors to directly visualize inflammation or damage.


    Biopsies of the colon or other affected areas of the gastrointestinal tract are often taken during these procedures to provide further confirmation of Crohn’s. These tests, combined with the patient’s symptoms, help to make an accurate diagnosis.


    While the ACR and EULAR do not have a direct classification system for diagnosing Crohn’s disease, they do emphasize the importance of ruling out rheumatic conditions and understanding the interconnectedness between autoimmune diseases and gastrointestinal symptoms.

  • Crohn's Disease Treatment Options

    Treatments are tailored to each individual's disease, but visit our Treatment Options page to learn more about the different types of treatments that are used for Crohn's Disease.

    Treatment Options

  • What Fellow Crohn's Disease Patients Want You to Know

    • Crohn's disease is a young person's condition that lasts a lifetime - most people are diagnosed before they're 30 years old and 20-30% were diagnosed before they were 20.

    • People in higher latitudes are more likely to have Crohn's than those who live at lower latitudes

    Submit YOUR Advice

  • Interesting Facts about Crohn's Disease

    • Crohn’s disease is named after Dr. Burrill Crohn, who, along with his colleagues, first described the condition in 1932. However, references to similar symptoms date back to ancient medical texts, suggesting it has affected humans for centuries.

    • The increasing prevalence of Crohn’s disease in developed countries has led to research into the role of diet and lifestyle in triggering the condition, particularly the “Western diet,” which is high in processed foods and low in fiber.

  • Crohn's Disease Awareness Days/Months


    • World Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Arthritis Day - May 20th
    • Autoimmune Awareness Month - March
    • World IBD Day - May 19th
    • Rheumatic Disease Awareness Month - September
    • Pain Awareness Month - September
    • Chronic Disease Awareness Day - July 10th
    • Invisible Disabilities Week - 3rd full week of October
    • IBD Awareness Month (Canada) - November
    • Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness Week - December 1-7

  • Other Crohn's Disease Resources


    AiArthritis Resources

In an effort to ensure this page has the most accurate and up-to-date information, this page is currently awaiting medical review. Some information is subject to change.


Page Last Updated: 10/25/2024

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