Description of health problem

Crohn's disease (CD), a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), is a chronic relapsing remitting condition that causes chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. CD can affect any part of the digestive tract, from the mouth to the anus.(1) Usually, CD involves both the superficial and deep layers of the intestine,(2) and may be characterised by location (terminal ileal, colonic, ileocolic, upper gastrointestinal) and/or pattern of disease (inflammatory, perforating or stricturing).(3) The most frequently reported symptoms of CD include malnutrition, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, weight loss, fever and rectal bleeding. The disease can occur at any age from early childhood to late adulthood. However, diagnosis is more common between the age of 15 and 25 years. Males and females are affected equally,(4,5) and around one-third of people with CD are diagnosed before 21 years of age.