World Journal of Surgery

Running head: HEALTH VARIATION 1
Health Variation
Name of Student
Name of Institution
Date
Author’s Note

HEALTH VARIATION 2
Health Variation
Question 1
One of the most common ailments is Crohn’s disease. It is a condition that affects the
gastrointestinal tract. It is a chronic relapsing inflammatory disease. According to Bullock &
Manias (2013), the disease attacks any portion of the digestive tract ranging from the mouth, the
stomach or the anus. However, most of the report cases are in the ascending colon and the
terminal ileum. In the case study provided, the patient, Jordan, developed a stricture, which
resulted in an obstruction of bowel movement in the terminal ileum. He also experienced severe
diarrhea and vomiting, which resulted in his body being dehydrated
The first symptom of Crohn’s disease is a small aphthous lesion in the submucosa or
mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract. The lesion progresses and inflammation begins. It affects all
the layers of the intestinal wall. Later, deep ulceration, fissure or granulomatous lesion develops.
The affected area develops into a cobble shape lumen appearance. The fissure and the ulceration
surround the edematous submucosa and intact mucosa. The lesions in Crohn’s disease are not
continuous and are often referred to as skip lesions (Feuerstein & Cheifetz, 2017).
With progress of the disease, other changes begin to occur in the bowel wall. There is
fibrotic thickening and decreased flexibility. This change is due to inflammation and edema. If
an infection occurs, there is pus formation and the cells are damaged. In some cases, a fistula
may occur in the loop of bowel or other organs surrounding the intestine. The alternation in
structure of the bowel wall affects the functionality of the gastrointestinal tracts and results in
malabsorption, thereby causing malnutrition.