Corticosteroids may be given to stop inflammation if
you have flare-ups of symptoms. If you need to take corticosteroids for an
extended time, you also may receive calcium, vitamin D, and prescription
medicine to prevent
.
Biologics are also used
as maintenance medicines.
Treatment if the condition gets worse
If you
have a very bad flare-up of Crohn's disease, you will most likely need IV
corticosteroids (like hydrocortisone) to get the disease under control.
Some severe cases of Crohn's disease need to be treated in the hospital
where you would receive
through a tube placed in your
nose and down into the stomach (enteral nutrition). In other cases, the bowel
may need to rest, and you will be fed liquid nutrients in a vein (total
parenteral nutrition, TPN). Supplemental nutrition may be needed if you are
malnourished because of severe Crohn's disease in the small intestine.
Nutritional support is especially important for children who are not growing
normally because of severe disease.
Surgery may be needed if no
medicine is effective, if you have serious side effects from medicine, if your
symptoms can be controlled only with long-term use of corticosteroids, or if
you develop complications such as fistulas, abscesses, or bowel obstructions.
Surgery involves removing the affected portion of the intestines, preserving as
much of the intestines as possible to maintain normal function. Crohn's disease
tends to return to other areas of the intestines after surgery.