When you have Crohn’s, a flare is the reappearance or worsening of disease symptoms. With inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis (UC), specific symptoms will depend on which condition you have and the part of your gastrointestinal (GI) tract that’s inflamed. With Crohn’s, once the inflammatory response is triggered, this is what can lead to a symptom flare.
Symptoms of a flare can include:
Crohn’s is unpredictable. And over time symptoms can change or get worse—meaning that the disease is progressive. Of course it’s important to talk to your doctor when experiencing a flare. But it’s also important to be specific about changes or differences in symptoms over time. Remember to communicate when you feel like you need a change—discussing with your doctor whether or not your treatment plan is working for you.
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Here are a few factors that may impact a flare or make symptoms worse:
You can’t always prevent flares, but you can be proactive about your health.
1
Always take your treatment as prescribed
2
See your doctor regularly—and have open conversations about your symptoms
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Maintain a well-balanced diet and consider vitamins or mineral supplements
If you’re not feeling better, maybe try something different, whether that’s a different doctor or a different treatment.