People who aren’t familiar with Crohn’s disease mistakenly think that the disease only impacts the intestines. Unfortunately, this misconception might lead to it not being diagnosed as early as possible. This is a chronic inflammatory condition that impacts the entire digestive tract. Because not everyone with the disease has the exact same presentation, it is often difficult to receive an accurate diagnosis quickly.
Some of the more common symptoms people experience include rectal bleeding, diarrhea, abdominal pain, unexplained fevers, fatigue and weight loss. Some cases don’t include all these signs, which complicates the diagnostic process. Children are especially difficult to diagnose because they might not relay everything going on with them.
Once a patient is diagnosed, it is possible that they will obtain remission through medical treatments. Often, biologics are used to do this, but there are sometimes other options. The key here is that the disease must be diagnosed early for the best outcome.
Patients who are left without treatment can suffer from significant weight loss and nutritional deficiencies. They are at an increased risk of infections due to the untreated lesions that can occur from the mouth to the anus. They also face a heightened chance of cancer, anemia and osteoporosis. These risks can be reduced with proper treatment early.
Because Crohn’s isn’t a common disease that doctors see often, they might not automatically think about this being a possibility, especially in cases where the diarrhea and rectal bleeding aren’t present. Still, if a patient comes in complaining of abdominal pain and appendicitis isn’t the problem, the medical team should evaluate the possibility of Crohn’s disease.
When the obvious signs are there and doctors don’t act appropriately, the patient might opt to pursue a claim for compensation. Failure to diagnose serious diseases and illnesses can lead to long-term health problems.