The key difference between appendicitis and Crohn’s disease is that appendicitis is an inflammatory disease that causes inflammation of the appendix, which projects from colon on the lower right side of the abdomen while Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory disease that causes the inflammation of the parts of gastrointestinal tract, including small intestine and the beginning of the large intestine.
Gastrointestinal tract diseases affect the gastrointestinal tract, which runs from the mouth to anus. There are many different gastrointestinal diseases. Some of them include peptic ulcers, gastritis, gastroenteritis, appendicitis, celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, gallstones, fecal incontinence, lactose intolerance, Hirschsprung disease, abdominal adhesions, Barrett’s esophagus, indigestion, intestinal pseudo-obstruction, pancreatitis, etc.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Appendicitis
3. What is Crohn’s Disease
4. Similarities – Appendicitis and Crohn’s Disease
5. Appendicitis vs Crohn’s Disease in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Appendicitis vs Crohn’s Disease
What is Appendicitis?
Appendicitis is an inflammatory disease that causes inflammation of the appendix. Appendix projects from the colon on the lower right side of the abdomen. Appendicitis is also described as the painful swelling of the appendix. The appendix is a finger-shaped, 5 to 10 cm long small thin pouch connected to the large intestine. The function of the appendix is not exactly known. However, removal of it from the body does not cause any harmful effect on the body.
Figure 01: Appendicitis
The signs and symptoms of appendicitis include sudden pain that begins on the right side of the lower abdomen, sudden pain starting around the navel that moves to the lower right abdomen, pain that worsens when coughing, walking, or other jarring movements, nausea and vomiting, loss appetite, low-grade fever, constipation or diarrhoea, abdominal bloating, and flatulence. Appendicitis can be diagnosed through physical exams to assess the pain, blood test, urine test, and imaging test (X-ray, CT scan, or MRI). Furthermore, appendicitis is treated through surgery to remove the appendix (appendectomy), draining an abscess before appendix surgery, and alternative medicines (distracting activities and guided imagery).
What is Crohn’s Disease?
Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory disease that causes inflammation of the parts of the gastrointestinal tract, including the small intestine and the beginning of the large intestine. It is a type of condition called inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Crohn’s disease affects people of all ages. It usually starts in childhood or early adulthood. The symptoms of Crohn’s disease include diarrhoea, stomachaches and cramps, blood in the feces, tiredness or fatigue, and weight loss. These symptoms may be constant or may come and go every week or month (flare up). The causes of Crohn’s disease include genes, immune system, smoking, previous stomach bugs, and an abnormal balance of gut bacteria.
Figure 02: Crohn’s Disease
Crohn’s disease can be diagnosed through blood tests, stool tests, colonoscopy, CT scans, MRI, capsule endoscopy, and balloon-assisted enteroscopy. Furthermore, Crohn’s disease can be treated through anti-inflammatory drugs (corticosteroids, oral 5-aminosalicylates), immune system suppressers (azathioprine and methotrexate), biologics (natalizumab), antibiotics (ciprofloxacin and metronidazole), antidiarrheals (psyllium powder), pain relievers (acetaminophen), vitamins and supplements, nutrition therapy, and surgery.
What are the Similarities Between Appendicitis and Crohn’s Disease?
- Appendicitis and Crohn’s disease are two types of gastrointestinal diseases.
- Both diseases cause inflammation in different parts of the gastrointestinal tract.
- They can be diagnosed through blood tests and imagining tests.
- Both diseases can be caused due to infections.
- They can be treated through medicines and respective surgeries.
What is the Difference Between Appendicitis and Crohn’s Disease?
Appendicitis is an inflammatory disease that causes inflammation of the appendix, while Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory disease that causes inflammation of the small intestine and the beginning of the large intestine. Thus, this is the key difference between appendicitis and Crohn’s disease. Furthermore, appendicitis causes inflammation in the part of the large intestine, while Crohn’s disease causes inflammation in the parts of both the small intestine and large intestine.
The below infographic presents the differences between appendicitis and Crohn’s disease in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Appendicitis vs Crohn’s Disease
Appendicitis and Crohn’s disease are two different types of gastrointestinal diseases. Appendicitis is an inflammatory disease that causes inflammation of the appendix that projects from the colon on the lower right side of the abdomen, while Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory disease that causes inflammation of some parts of the gastrointestinal tract, including the small intestine and the beginning of the large intestine. So, this summarizes the difference between appendicitis and Crohn’s disease.
Reference:
1. “Appendicitis: Early Symptoms, Causes, Pain Location, Surgery, Recovery.” WebMD.
2. “Crohn’s Disease.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Depiction of a person suffering from Appendicitis” By Myupchar (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Crohn’s Disease vs Colitis ulcerosa” By Own work, This file was derived from: Patterns of Crohn's Disease.svg by Samir, vectorized by Fvasconcellos – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia