Despite the evidence to the contrary, many doctors still believe that Black Americans don’t develop digestive issues as often as other ethnicities. This is especially true when it comes to Crohn’s disease. The fact that other illnesses can co-exist with this condition can also make a diagnosis difficult. Fortunately, if you know what you’re dealing with you can have frank discussions with your doctor.
8 Diseases That Can Co-Exist With Crohn’s Disease
1. Psoriasis
This is an autoimmune condition where the immune system causes accelerated skin cell growth. If you have psoriasis, you’ll see raised patches of dry, itchy skin as well as signs of inflammation. In Black people, the affected areas may appear as dark brown or purple patches.
2. Rheumatoid Arthritis
In rheumatoid arthritis, your immune system attacks your joints. With this condition, you can experience joint pain, joint stiffness and swelling. If left untreated, joints can become deformed. This form of arthritis can also affect your heart, lungs, and eyes.
3. Lupus
Lupus is a chronic illness that causes inflammation throughout the body. It most commonly affects the joints, heart, skin, and kidneys. However, it can also impact the digestive system, leading to symptoms similar to Crohn’s disease.
4. Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
It’s generally thought that people develop MS when their immune systems attack the coating around the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. As a result, you can have varying symptoms like tingling in the extremities, poor memory, chronic fatigue, and trouble keeping your balance.
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5. Asthma
The connection between Crohn’s disease and asthma is a recent discovery. However, studies suggest that people with asthma often go on to be diagnosed with digestive disorders. The main symptoms of asthma are shortness of breath, chest tightness, and wheezing.
6. Heart Disease
It’s estimated that inflammation in the body can lead to heart disease and this is likely the link to Crohn’s disease. Some symptoms of heart disease include chest pain, shortness of breath, wheezing, swelling in the legs, and an uneven heartbeat.
7. Ankylosing Spondylitis
This condition is a type of arthritis that affects the spine. If you have ankylosing spondylitis, you may experience chronic back pain and stiffness.
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8. Fibromyalgia
While more studies need to be done, there is some evidence that people who have Crohn’s disease have a higher risk of developing fibromyalgia. This condition is difficult to diagnose but it is characterized by widespread muscle pain and tenderness.
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Why This Affects Black Americans
The lack of diagnosis of Crohn’s disease affects Black Americans in several ways. The first issue is that the illness is a chronic one and will only get worse if it’s not treated. That explains why statistics show that most Black people get diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at a later stage because their symptoms have gotten too severe to ignore.
Additionally, Black Americans can end up having surgery as their only option to treat the disease while other ethnicities would have been able to explore medication and other non-invasive treatments.
It is also important to note that some conditions that co-exist with Crohn’s disease are more prevalent in the Black community. For example, Black Americans are almost twice as likely as other ethnicities to develop rheumatoid arthritis.
When being treated for other conditions, it’s also possible for doctors to still ignore that you might have Crohn’s disease. It makes matters worse that some of their symptoms can overlap. That’s why it’s important for you to make note of all your symptoms and when they started.
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The Symptoms You Should Tell Your Doctor
Crohn’s disease isn’t the same for everyone as the symptoms can vary in presentation and severity. To make matters worse, you’re likely to have flare-ups where the symptoms get worse temporarily because you were exposed to a trigger.
Some of the common symptoms of Crohn’s disease include stomach cramps, fever, chronic fatigue, loss of appetite, and watery diarrhea. As the condition progresses, you may also have constipation, swelling in the eyes, joint pain, rectal bleeding, and tender bumps under the skin.
You should always tell your doctor about any health changes that you experience. If you can document when they started or what may influence them, that would also be helpful. Given that Crohn’s disease can co-exist with certain other conditions, it’s worth talking to your doctor about being assessed for it if you’ve been diagnosed with any of the illnesses on this list.
It’s not usually hard to diagnose Crohn’s disease once your doctor has ruled out other digestive issues. However, a lot of Black Americans remain undiagnosed because some doctors still believe that they’re not as likely to develop the condition. It will be up to you to advocate for yourself if you’re having symptoms that are typical of the illness.
