Health Variation Assignment on Crohn’s Disease (CD)

Running head: HEALTH VARIATION
HEALTH VARIATION
Name of the Student
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Author’s note

HEALTH VARIATION
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1. Crohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory disease that is of unknown origin. There
are numerous factors including genetic susceptibility and environmental factors that is the
reason for the disease. Although the aetiology of the disease is quite complex, the widely
accepted hypothesis of CD purports CD as an immune-mediated disease that occurs to
individuals who are vulnerable genetically (Boyapati, Satsangi & Ho, 2015). Weight loss
is a common clinical manifestation of the inflammatory Bowel diseases of Crohn’s
disease. Malnutrition has been observed in Crohn’s disease. The structural changes is
associated with the mucosal ulceration of the intestinal walls and mesentry, which causes
a discontinuous and transmural inflammation that involved the whole thickness of the
intestinal walls and an inflammatory response that is associated with the aggregation of
the lymphoid and granulomas (Boyapati, Satsangi & Ho, 2015). The mesenteric fat
extends to the serosal surface of the intestine. Although the aetiology of the disease is
quite complex, the widely accepted hypothesis of CD purports CD as an immune
mediated disease that occurs to individuals who are vulnerable genetically. There is an
increased production of the mediators or the cytokines by the abundant inflammatory
infiltrate in the walls of intestine (Zhang & Li, 2014). However, the onset of the disease
is triggered by the environmental factors that affects the gut microbiota and stimulate the
immune responses abnormally. Certain morphological and functional changes can be
found in CD. Again, the discovery of the polymorphism has pave the way of another
possible reason for the development of IBD like Crohn’s disease (Zhang & Li, 2014).
Weight loss is another symptom manifested by Jordon, hence it is necessary to
understand the pathogenesis of weight loss in Crohn’s disease. Weightloss that
occurs due to the underlying physical disturbances can be regarded as the marker

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of the inflammatory response. In CD younger age at diagnosis and the history of
pervious surgeries have been considered to be associated with weight loss. The
weight loss is IBD has been contributed to by a number if processes. CD us
inflammatory in nature, leading to a generalized catabolic states (Elsherif,
Alexakis & Mendall, 2014). The resting energy expenditure has been found to be
increased at the time of acute flares in CD and the pro-inflammatory cytokines
exerting an anorexic effect. The inflammatory condition in CD is associated with
the alterations in the levels of the number of metabolic hormones that included
adiponectin, leptin and ghrelin that can put effect on the satiety. Secondly, the
disease process is associated with the mal-absorption of the micro-nutrients and
the macronutrients. Patients with CD suffers from an increase gastrocholic
reflexes and various other symptoms like pain related to food ingestion, which
makes the patients to avoid food (Elsherif, Alexakis & Mendall, 2014). The above
mentioned pathogenesis thus related to Jordon’s reluctance to have food or
recurrent episodes of vomiting.
2. The common pain pathway consists of the functions of three orders of neurons, known as
the first order neurons, they are pseudounipolar neurons that have one axon splitting in to
two branches, a peripheral branch and a central branch. The second order neurons that are
found in the Rexed laminae of the spinal cord. The third order neurons lie inside the he
ventral posterolateral nucleus (VPL) of the thalamus. Initially, some of the first order
neurons are activated by various noxious stimuli. The signals from the thermal,
mechanical and the polymodal nociceptors are then transmitted to the dorsal horn of the
spinal cord by the help of the Aδ fibres. Aδ fibres helps in the localization of the pain