Is Crohn's hereditary?

Many people are always worried about whether this disease will be inherited or that disease will be inherited, but they don’t know that some diseases are hereditary from the beginning. Crohn’s is such a disease, which is a family clustering disease and often occurs among friends of direct relatives. Moreover, the genetic differences are also different, which will have a certain impact on reproductive function.

The incidence of Crohn's disease has obvious familial clustering, and the incidence rate in first-degree relatives is usually significantly higher than that in the general population, and there is a certain genetic tendency. Identical twins may suffer from this disease together, with an incidence rate of 6% to 16%, while the incidence rate of fraternal twins is only 0 to 5%. There are also racial differences in the disease, with a higher incidence among Caucasians and a lower incidence among blacks and Asians. The incidence among Caucasians is three times that of blacks, and the incidence among Jews is three to five times that of non-Jews.

1. Will Crohn's disease affect fertility?

The fertility rate of young women with Crohn's disease is somewhat reduced. There may be many reasons for this. First of all, the disease itself may lead to malnutrition, infection, complications of surgery, and reduced endocrine function in women. Major abdominal surgeries such as partial or complete colectomy, entero-rectal anastomosis or ileostomy may have a certain impact on pregnancy and fertility. Secondly, many women with Crohn's disease often avoid pregnancy for subjective reasons. They are afraid of pregnancy, believing that pregnancy will cause the disease to relapse, worsen or affect the fetus. Moreover, these patients may be more inclined to use contraceptive measures due to medical or psychological reasons.

2. Will Crohn's disease affect children's growth and development?

Children with Crohn's disease often suffer from complications such as malnutrition and anemia due to poor nutrient absorption and chronic intestinal blood loss. Child patients often suffer from slow growth and development due to nutrient absorption disorders.

3. Will Crohn's disease affect intelligence?

There is currently no research showing that Crohn's disease itself will directly affect intelligence level, but severe malnutrition in children may affect intellectual development.

4. Which Crohn's disease-related drugs may affect fertility?

It is currently believed that Crohn's disease will not significantly affect the patient's fertility (including both men and women), but male patients taking sulfasalazine and tripterygium wilfordii may face the risk of decreased sperm count and activity. During pregnancy, inducing and maintaining remission of Crohn's disease is very important and is a key factor in determining the success or failure of delivery. Studies have found that if Crohn's disease is active during pregnancy, the risk of premature birth and low birth weight is significantly increased. Most of the drugs currently used to treat Crohn's disease can be taken during pregnancy, except for methotrexate and thalidomide. TNF monoclonal antibodies (such as Remicade) should also be discontinued before 6 months of pregnancy.