(Sengupta, 2018)
1.) Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 deficiency from malabsorption is common in patients with Crohn’s Disease and can lead to anemia. While zinc, vitamin D, and calcium are all common deficiencies in a patient with Crohn’s Disease, none of them are associated with anemia in this population (McCance & Huether, 2019).
2.) Crohn’s Disease can affect anywhere in the GI tract from mouth to anus.
Probably the largest difference between Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis is that Crohn’s can affect anywhere in the GI tract, while Ulcerative Colitis only affects the large intestine. Crohn’s lesions commonly follow the “skip lesion” pathway in which there are areas that are inflamed mixed with areas that are not inflamed at the same time. Both Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis put the patient at an increased risk for colon cancer, specifically intestinal adenocarcinoma. Both Crohn’s patients and ulcerative colitis patients may experience bloody stools, although ulcerative colitis patients may experience this more frequently (McCance & Huether, 2019).
3.) Lactose Intolerance
Lactose intolerance is not a known risk factor for one developing Crohn’s disease. Risk factors for Crohn’s include family history of the disease, cigarette smoking, Jewish ethnicity, background of urban living, age less than 40 years, a predominance in women, and an altered gut microbiome (McCance & Huether, 2019).
4.) False
The most commonly affected portions of the GI tract are the ascending colon and the transverse colon, although anywhere from mouth to anus may be affected by Crohn’s disease (McCance & Huether, 2019).
5.) Short Bowel Syndrome
Short Bowel Syndrome is a common complication involving surgical bowel resection of the small intestine. This can lead to malabsorption, diarrhea, and nutritional deficiencies. Colonic strictures are a complication associated with the disease process and they are actually treated by the resection of that narrowed portion of the bowel. Skip lesions are the lesions that may show inflammation in an area that are mixed with areas without inflammation at the same time. Below is a visual representation of Crohn’s associated skip lesions versus Ulcerative Colitis associated lesions. Pancreatic insufficiency is not a complication following bowel resection in a patient with Crohn’s Disease (McCance & Huether, 2019).
Distribution Patterns of Crohn Disease and Ulcerative Colitis (McCance & Huether, 2019)