Tommy was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease, a form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), at age 9. His case was severe and, as parents, we were given an option to have either Humira or 6MP prescribed to manage and hold his disease in remission. Both options had potential risks of cancer.
At that time, we chose 6MP, due to the studies that, at the time, showed Humira to be more risky.
Learn more about Crohn's Disease below, paying particular attention to those drugs which hold the highest risk for cancer related side effects.
What is Crohn's Disease?
Crohn's Disease (CD) is a chronic and incurable autoimmune disorder. CD and ulcerative colitis are included in a group know as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and affects more than 1.6 million people in the United States.
CD causes inflammation of the digestive system, or gastrointestinal tract (GI tract). The disease can occur at any age in a person’s life, however, CD is most often diagnosed in young adults between the ages of 20 and 30 years of age.
The life long disease can affect any part of the GI tract including the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. However, sufferers most frequently experience inflammation in the end of the small intestine and large intestine.
Common symptoms of Crohn’s Disease include abdominal pain, fever, diarrhea, weight loss, fatigue, blood in the stool, and mouth sores. Other signs and symptoms include inflammation of the skin, eyes, and joints. A delay in growth and sexual development has also been widely seen among Crohn’s Disease sufferers .
Inflammation from Crohn's Disease occurs due to a malfunction in the immune system’s response to bacteria and microorganisms that cyclically attacks the digestive tract.
Still a little unclear on the complexities of Crohn's Disease? Check out this great informational video made by Animated IBD Patient that breaks down the symptoms and treatments for the illness.
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The Basics About Crohn's Disease
Did you know.....
- North America has the highest incidence rate of Crohn's Disease in the world. The US is second only to Canada. Countries with a high incidence and prevalence of Crohn's Disease, like the US, also experience high rates of fast food consumption.
- Crohn's Disease does run in families. The lifetime risk that first-degree relatives of Crohn's Disease patients will develop Crohn's Disease themselves is just 1 percent.
- One cause of Crohn's Disease may be an autoimmune reaction—when your immune system attacks healthy cells in your body. Experts think bacteria in your digestive tract can mistakenly trigger your immune system. This immune system response causes inflammation, leading to symptoms of Crohn's Disease.
- There is no way to prevent Crohn's Disease. But you can keep the condition from taking a heavy toll on your body. Maintain a well-balanced, nutritious diet to store up vitamins and nutrients between episodes or flare-ups. By doing so, you can decrease complications from poor nutrition, such as weight loss or anemia.
- Many of the most popular drug treatments prescribed to treat Crohn's Disease have also been know to cause cancer, including, and specifically, Hepatosplenic T-cell Lymphoma, the disease that took Tommy's life. These include Humira, 6MP, Reimcade and Imuran. Learn more about The Drugs You Take.
Tommy's Case
From what we know, Crohn's disease is more prevalent in the US than in most other countries. Most Crohn's patients develop this disease at a more mature age than was Tommy, although in many cases, heredity does play a role.
In Tommy's case, we believe he was more susceptible to contracting Crohn's Disease due to antibiotics he received when he was operated on at age 3 months. We believe his immune system was compromised allowing him to contract Crohn's Disease at the young age of 9.
It was at age 9, Tommy was administered 6MP to treat his more severe case of Crohn's Disease.
Global Factors Surrounding Crohn's Disease
ETHNICITY
Race and ethnical characteristics have little influence over the likelihood of obtaining CD as immigrants in countries with high incidence rates also experience CD with a similar rate as natives.
Countries with a high incidence and prevalence of CD also experience high rates of fast food consumption and a considerable lack of sunlight throughout the year demonstrating that lack of Vitamin D may play a role.
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
Environmental factors that show a correlation between the instances of Crohn’s Disease include:
- Smoking: The most important environmental factor for inducing CD. It increases the occurrence of CD two times.
- Vitamin D: The loss of vitamin D leads to CD. Furthermore, sunlight is an indirect important factor for production of vitamin D in people. The lack of sunlight leads to the absence of vitamin D and presence of CD.
- Antibiotics: Some studies show that long time consumption of antibiotics increases the rate of CD. While some other surveys indicate that a long period consumption of a combination of two or more antibiotics has no clear positive effect on CD. However, some studies show positive effects of antibiotic consumption on CD for a short time.
- Chemical pollution: Chemical agent like NO2 rises up the risk of CD.
- Food Diet: Vegetable and fruits decrease the rate of CD while fast food increases the risk of CD.
GLOBAL FACTORS
Crohn’s Disease (CD) is most prevalent in countries that have experienced a great amount of industrialization in recent history. Several studies show a high incidence and prevalence of CD in western countries such as USA, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, Scandinavia, and Western Europe. On the contrary, CD is uncommon in Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe, however the number of cases of CD in these countries is increasing as these nations become more industrialized.