What is Crohn's Disease?
Currently affecting an estimated 500,000 people in the United States, Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes inflammation or swelling of the digestive tract, also known as the gastrointestinal (GI) tract1.
Crohn's disease can affect any part of the GI tract, though it usually occurs at the end of the small intestine, also known as the ileum, and the beginning of the large intestine, also known as the colon2. Crohn's disease often is mistaken for other GI disorders that cause similar symptoms, such as ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).