Case highlights indiscriminate use of ibuprofen and scenario disguised as Crohn’s

The most common location is the terminal ileum (most distal portion of the small intestine).

Dr. Ahmed Morales, gastroenterologist and member of the Board of Editors of the Journal of Medicine and Public Health. Photo: Archive of the Journal of Medicine and Public Health. Fabiola Plaza.

the disease of Crohn It is a chronic and autoimmune inflammatory affectation of the digestive tract that evolves recurrently with outbreaks. It can affect from the mouth to the anus. The most common location is the terminal ileum (most distal portion of the small intestine).

Ibuprofen, on the other hand, is an over-the-counter medicine, used to reduce fever and to relieve minor pain such as headaches, muscle aches, arthritis, menstrual cramps, common cold discomfort, toothaches and backaches. .

Precisely the indiscriminate use of this drug again raises a medical alert by health professionals, this time at the hands of Dr. Ahmed Morales, gastroenterologist.

It was a 25-year-old patient who presented with abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea. Within his history, he reported taking ibuprofen continuously for back pain. An abdominal CT Scan study showed thickening of the ileus, the specialist reported.

Ileus is the temporary lack of normal muscle contractions in the intestines. It can present with bloating, vomiting, constipation, cramps, and loss of appetite.

A colonoscopy revealed diaphragmatic ulcers in the ileus for a final diagnosis of recurrent ibuprofen ileitis. Findings on colonoscopy could be mistaken for Crohn’s disease and the patient may receive adverse treatments, she warned.

The patient successfully recovered the clinical picture after discontinuing the use of ibuprofen.

“Ulcers in the area of ​​the ileum can be confused with a diagnosis similar to Crohns disease. It is important for physicians to be aware of this type of scenario and the consequences of the indiscriminate use of ibuprofen on intestinal function. The colonoscopy study is essential to determine the origin of the inflammation in the ileus and to be able to provide the correct treatment to the patient”, Morales reiterated.

“Doctors must take into account the symptoms that exist in both scenarios, since they are very similar, and could be confused, causing adverse and erroneous treatment for the patient’s life,” he concluded.

consulted source here.

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