Surgery to remove part of the intestine can help Crohn's disease but cannot cure it diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets The inflammation tends to return next to the area of intestine that has been removed diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets Many Crohn's disease patients require surgery, either to relieve symptoms that do not respond to medical therapy or to to correct complications such as blockage, perforation, abscess, or bleeding in the intestine diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets The digestive system diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets The doctor may also do a colonoscopy diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets For this test, the doctor inserts an endoscope--a long, flexible, lighted tube linked to a computer and TV monitor--into the anus to see the inside inside of the large intestine diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets The doctor will be able to see any inflammation or bleeding diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets During the exam, the doctor may do a biopsy, which involves taking a sample of tissue from the lining of the intestine to view with a microscope diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets The doctor may do an an upper gastrointestinal (GI) series to look at the small intestine diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets For this test, the patient drinks barium, a chalky solution that coats the lining of the small intestine, before x rays are taken diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets The barium shows up white on x-ray film, revealing inflammation or other abnormalities in the the intestine diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets The doctor may recommend nutritional supplements, especially for children whose growth has been slowed diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets Special high-calorie liquid formulas are sometimes used for this purpose diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets A small number of patients may need periods of feeding by vein diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets This can help patients who need extra nutrition temporarily, temporarily, those whose intestines need to rest, or those whose intestines cannot absorb enough nutrition from food diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets The most common complication is blockage of the intestine diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets Blockage occurs because the disease tends to thicken the intestinal wall with swelling and scar tissue, narrowing the passage diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets Crohn's disease may may also cause sores, or ulcers, that tunnel through the affected area into surrounding tissues such as the bladder, vagina, or skin diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets The areas around the anus and rectum are often involved diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets The tunnels, called fistulas, are a common complication and often become infected diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets Sometimes fistulas can be be treated with medicine, but in some cases they may require surgery diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets The most common symptoms of Crohn's disease are abdominal pain, often in the lower right area, and diarrhea diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets Rectal bleeding, weight loss, and fever may also occur diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets Bleeding may be serious and persistent, leading to anemia diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets anemia diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets Children with Crohn's disease may suffer delayed development and stunted growth diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets The U.S diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets Food and Drug Administration has approved the drug infliximab (brand name, Remicade) for the treatment of moderate to severe Crohn's disease that does not respond to standard therapies (mesalamine substances, corticosteroids, immunosuppressive agents) and and for the treatment of open, draining fistulas diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets Infliximab, the first treatment approved specifically for Crohn's disease, is an anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) substance diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets TNF is a protein produced by the immune system that may cause the inflammation associated with Crohn's disease diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets Anti-TNF removes TNF from the bloodstream bloodstream before it reaches the intestines, thereby preventing inflammation diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets Investigators will continue to study patients taking infliximab to determine its long-term safety and efficacy diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets Theories about what causes Crohn's disease abound, but none has been proven diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets The most popular theory is that the body's immune system reacts to to a virus or a bacterium by causing ongoing inflammation in the intestine diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets Treatment for Crohn's disease depends on the location and severity of disease, complications, and response to previous treatment diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets The goals of treatment are to control inflammation, correct nutritional deficiencies, and relieve symptoms like abdominal pain, diarrhea, diarrhea, and rectal bleeding diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets Treatment may include drugs, nutrition supplements, surgery, or a combination of these options diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets At this time, treatment can help control the disease, but there is no cure diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets What are the complications of Crohn's disease? What are the complications of Crohn's disease? What are the the symptoms? What are the symptoms? What causes Crohn's disease? What causes Crohn's disease? What is the treatment for Crohn's disease? What is the treatment for Crohn's disease? Zinc diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets Free radicals--molecules produced during fat metabolism, stress, and infection, among other things--may contribute to inflammation in Crohn's disease diverticulitis-diverticulitis-diets Free radicals | 