Can you be born with Crohn's?

Hi all, I just got some info from my aunt. She told me that when I was born and shortly after I had some problems and that the family was really worried. This was a long time ago 1973, she can't recall what exactly the "condition" was, only that it was intestinal and I was born with it. My mom and dad have passed as well as my mom's twin sister, so I can't ask them. Hoping another aunt will remember more info. I'm assuming I was ok up until about 5 I starting having complaints and only got worse and was hospitalized when I was 6 and 7 years old. They ran many tests, barium, blood work etc... But it wasn't until they did exploratory surgery did they assume crohn's.

Just reading my records from 1980: says I was admitted and had presented suspect appendicitis.There followed a most interesting course and she is now suspect of having a form of regional enteritis as suggested by the xray findings on barium enema and the appearances of the terminal ileum at laparotomy.
following were pertinent to her illness:
being sick off and on with anorexia, abdominal pain, lethargy and vomiting.

Slim weight 17.5kg, height 117cm.

low grade fever 37.8 rectal
hard constipated stool.

WBC measured several time during the week ranged from 31,000-21,000.
Intussuception was suspected but not confirmed on x-ray, instead there was some abnormality about the terminal ileum and laparotomy was undertaken.

Hey CD, I don't have specifics but it can happen there have been little as 6months old be diagnosed with it. Thoughts have been expressed since my mother was in her 1st trimester and had german measles that could of played a role because I am also deaf in one ear and partial other ear. But after seeing all my sibs have IBD in one form or another, my mother is 75 soon and not a thing wrong with her. She also has RHneg factor blood... So who knows, with genetics, it is possible!

Anyone else care to add or comment???

Thanks for the reply Jetta, that's interesting. I know my mom had iritis at an early age, but I'm not sure if she had it while pregnant with me. I'm the last child born and my brother and sister have no issues. I know my sister is Rh neg, mom might have been too.

I'd like to hear more if you guys have any comments to add as well.

I think you can be born with Crohns. By that I mean I do believe that there is a genetic link with some people and if the right trigger is introduced and you have a predisposition then the disease will develop, therefore I don't see why this can't occur at an early age.

Roo is O negative and has Crohns, I'm A positive, no one else in the immediate family does.

Dusty.

Yeah I agree with dustykat. I don't believe you can really be born with it and my reasoning for that is that it is autoimmune so my thinking is you have to be born before your immune system can start attacking your bowels. So while it could be present at a very early age and the child could be born to develop it immediately I wouldn't really think it'd be possible to be born with it. Last research my doctor said she had heard was that they believe you are somehow predisposed to the disease and it takes some change or some event in your environment to trigger the autoimmune response. Could be stress, another illness, vaccinations, environmental changes....or a combination or part of both.... thats my theory but I am by no means a doctor or anything close haha.

You're born with the autoimmune disorder is my understanding of it but it needs to be triggered. Could that trigger happen in the womb? I'm gonna say... I dunno. Maybe.

The doctors always told me that I was born with it and got it from my mom while she was pregnant with me. Although my older sister is fine!

CrabbyRelish said:

You're born with the autoimmune disorder is my understanding of it but it needs to be triggered. Could that trigger happen in the womb? I'm gonna say... I dunno. Maybe.

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LOL! "Maybe" You are too funny!! ((((((((( Crabby ))))))))))

But yes, I have to agree with Crabby (again - huh! Starting a trend here... )

Because it is an "autoimmune disorder" you are going to be born with it... it is sitting there in your body...waiting to happen...waiting for something to trigger it.

The problem the health care feild has is, if we knew what that trigger was, or how to prevent it, we could essentially "cure" Crohn's! Seeing as how there is no cure yet, I am guessing no one knows what the exact "trgger" is... lol.

"Getting it from your mom" might be true, but seeing as how there is (very probably) a genetic factor involved, it is possible that it may come from your dad's side of the family... so don't go blaming your mom for everything!! LOL!

That being said.... maybe the "trigger" is the two sets of genes coming together in your particular body.... who knows??

Sorry to hear about the loss of your folks.

When I was 5mths old I was hospitalized with bloody diarrhea - the docs called it ecenophilic gastroenteritis (sp?) I think. The episode resolved and I didn't have any more symptoms until I flared at age 8. My older brother has Crohn's, too, but it didn't flare until he was an adult.

So I agree with the "born with it, 'something' has to trigger it" theory.

Me and my family believe that I was indeed born with it. My mother told me she would have troubles breat feeding me and all these complications as a child. I was getting tested for allergies and they said i was "allergic to the proteins in milk". Which as we well know was not the case. I am now 19 and have troubles with trying just live with CD on a day to day basis. I was JUST recenelty diagnosed in MARCH this year.