HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Crohn's Subtypes - need advice

Support Forums
>
Crohn's Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 8/4/2013 6:19 PM (GMT 0)
My understanding is that there are subtypes of Crohn's and that one is Granulomous Colitis and that this subtype only affects the colon. Is that true? In this type of colitis, the upper GI upstream of the colon is not likely to be affected?

My disease is in the rectum, colon, and microscopically in the TI. I also have a couple of granulomas. Can I still have granulomous colitis with microscopic involvement of the TI?

Thanks!!
Posted 8/5/2013 4:54 AM (GMT 0)
CD can show up anywhere in the GI tract and more than one area at a time and the 5 subtypes of crohn's are just a basis for "typical" CD but nothing is written in stone...they also say that those of us with crohn's colitis (aka Granulomous Colitis) are more likely to have issues with fistulas but thankfully in my over 20 years of a constant flare I've never had one (touching wood I never do).
Posted 8/6/2013 12:36 AM (GMT 0)
There is a subtype of Crohn's which only affects the colon, yeah - 'granulomous colitis' is not a term I've heard of personally though. about all I can tell you is that I had Crohn's colitis and my pathology report (I had my colon removed) said that no granulomas were seen - so I presume from that one highly personal example that granulomas aren't always a feature of Crohn's colitis (Crohn's of the colon).

But I don't see why you can't have microscopic TI involvement with Crohn's colitis though. You can certainly get a TI stricture with Crohn's colitis - again speaking from personal experience... ¬_¬
Posted 8/6/2013 1:24 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks niceCupOfTea - so you removed your colon? Did you do a jpouch surgery? Or permanent ileostomy? Are you still taking meds even with colon removed?
Posted 8/6/2013 1:43 AM (GMT 0)
Well, the surgeon removed my colon; I'd have probably made a bit of a mess of it <_<.

Permanent ileostomy. Usually j-pouches are contraindicted in Crohn's; some surgeons will make an exception for Crohn's colitis patients who've never had any small bowel disease, but even microscopic involvement in the TI would probably be enough to rule out a j-pouch.

No meds, no. I'm just not willing to go back on them unless I flare up :-/
Posted 8/7/2013 6:09 AM (GMT 0)
Yeah guys - I understand that it can attack anywhere in the GI from mouth to anus. But, I was wondering if it is more likely to stay in the colon if it is currently granulomoutos colitis or chron's colitis. Or is it equally likely as any Crohn's patients to spread everywhere to mouth, stomach, GI, etc?
Posted 8/7/2013 5:03 PM (GMT 0)
Crohn's (granulomatous) colitis: This form of Crohn's disease involves only the colon. Symptoms include skin lesions, joint pains, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, and the formation of ulcers, fistulas, and abscesses around the anus.

There can be overlap between these types of Crohn's disease. Some people have more than one area of the digestive tract affected.

As mentioned in the above google search, the formation of fistulas and abscesses isn't written in stone as I luckily have never had either but I do have perianal crohn's skin tags on the outside of my anus...I've also had rectal involvement (similar to UC) but it's still crohn's--my pattern of inflammation indicates CD as do the perianal crohn's skin tags on my anus. I've also had my CD affecting my TI, colon, rectum and anus (anal tags I mentioned) all at the same time so as mentioned, the 5 subtyped of CD can overlap as they have for me.

With CD, there's always a chance for it to spread anywhere throughout the GI tract since that is commonly the nature of the disease, but many will have issues mainly in one area and may never have issues in other areas...it's not possible to guarantee anything when it comes to CD in regards to if it will stay where it's at or affect other areas as well.
Posted 8/8/2013 3:09 AM (GMT 0)
Crohn's is not very common in the upper small bowel: I have read that 3% of Crohn's patients have duodenum and stomach involvement. By far and away the most common location for Crohn's is the terminal ileum and right hand side of the colon. Crohn's colitis with no small bowel involvement occurs in about 20% of Crohn's cases.

In a nutshell Crohn's usually doesn't spread. Obviously there are exceptions, nothing is set in stone like pb4 said. But most of the time you will not get colonic disease making its way up the small bowel - or terminal ileum disease for that matter.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply