# What is the life expectancy for those with Crohn's Disease



## countrycoffeehouse

So this is a question I have never asked anyone.. maybe I don't want to know but I am asking. So how long do we live on average with this disease?


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## Crohn's 35

Well I have never heard anyone ask this question but it depends on the severity and the medications you endure throughout and you tolerance to pain. 

I know of two men (who have a lower life expectancy healthy) that are in their 80's and still kicking so their are predispositions but I don't dwell on that ,besides I plan to sticking around and see this cure through!  :crab:


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## Cat-a-Tonic

I did a bit of googling, and it looks like we have a pretty normal life expectancy.  Obviously some of the medications we take can cause other problems, and there's a slightly higher risk of colon cancer for people with IBD, but overall it sounds like there's no reason you can't live to a ripe old age.


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## fateful_one

I think that if the Crohn's is severe later in life...like in your 70's or 80's when your already weakened that complications could be fatal. Although I have heard that Crohn's usually is less severe at that age.   In my own experience, it isn't the Crohn's thats bad, its the medications.  I could have died from a complication I had w/ Humira, I almost went into septic shock! After sometime in the hospital, I was fine though


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## Jer's Girl

In my understanding, we do not die from the disease, but can die from complications from the disease.


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## effdee

What Jer's Girl said. Complications from the disease, medications, or treatment could contribute. Crohn's also increases the risk of cancer.


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## countrycoffeehouse

thanks guys  Glad to know that I should live a long enough life.  Right at this moment I just feel like I am dying.. but such is life in a out of control unmedicated flare.. 3 months is going to be the death of me.. i bought some rice protein and I will be drinking some of that in a smoothy and I have a few AWFUL ensures.. I am dropping weight and have about 4 more pounds before I start to look pretty scary.. I have lost 14 since August 18th..


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## Christy

All I know is that when it was time for my term life insurance to renew and the company found out I had even a chance of having Crohn's, they flat out refused to insure me.   Jerks .....


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## Lucy

I plan to live long enough to spend my kids inheritance. Lol They can save their own money.


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## Crohn's 35

Lucy said:


> I plan to live long enough to spend my kids inheritance. Lol They can save their own money.


Ha, that is my theory and I am sticking to it!  We should have the fun, like you say let them find their own way, like we did!:wink:


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## acg101

normal life expectancy , its the medications side effect that hurt our bodies more than the CD


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## rottengut91

It's not the fall that kills you, it's the landing!


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## outlier

Not really an answer but you might find this interesting as well.
At my job i go through the obituary pages of several major newspapers every day (its surprisingly interesting). When I was diagnosed I did an obit search to see how many times crohn's was mentioned. I only found one mention that said Complications of Crohn's as cause of death. That and Dr. Crohn's obit.
That sort of reassured me.


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## braveheart

Crohn is not killing anybody, but complicates everything.
I wonder would be my life in 20 years time…

Let's seize the day.


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## jkd1111

You guys are so right on....and cracking me up!  Thanks for the smile today....we all needed it.


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## MassnAnge

Sucks about the life insurance thing - I thought they only didn't insure those who are new to Crohn's like myself who was only diagnosed in Feb 2009 - the insurance company told me that they needed to see more history of the disease in me before giving me life insurance and when I did get it I would probably pay a premium!  guess I'm not a good investment to those guys....


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## Jennifer

You can die from Crohn's if it goes untreated. I would have died within 2-3 more years if I didn't get treatment (I would have been 12 years old). And I do recall some other people on this forum saying that they almost or would have died. Yes medications create complications in the future but when you leave Chrohns untreated, you aren't any better off. So the answer would be a normal life expectancy but we are more prone to complications in the future from medications or going without treatment. It really just depends on the disease' severity.


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## AnnieInside

I've been researching what the life expectancy of someone with Crohn's Disease is and found this:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/550715_3



> However, Kaplan–Meier analysis of age at death of these patients shows that patients diagnosed under 20 years have a median age at death of 64 years (inter-quartile range 59–70 years), whilst those patients diagnosed over the age of 20 years do not experience reduced life expectancy.


I'm not sure how to deal with this.  Do you guys think improvements in treatment or even a cure are coming so I don't need to even think about this kind of stuff?


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## Downnvrout

I almost died in May of this year from Crohns. I was self medicating thinking I would get better but all the while my crohns was spreading along my entire digestive tract. According to my surgeon it was a very close call...


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## kiny

I almost died from blood loss years ago, had a rupture and it knocked me into a coma. But I really believe the people who it happened to are exceptions, most people I know with crohn really don't have any issues.

I do have to warn people to not take side effects of medication lightly, many people with crohn have died from the side effects. I have seen someone go into a shock from infliximab because her body rejected it and she almost died, reason I stopped with it, they are very rare though. I hope in the future medication is safer, it's way too dangerous atm.

You have to walk a path that avoids crohn getting too bad while at the same time limiting your exposure to dangerous medication. It's not easy to do, takes a lot of thinking and trying to find the right balance.


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## kiny

For what it's worth, the first cases of crohn were reported by Dalziel in 1913, they checked for TB, couldn't find it and called it _chronic interstitial enteritis_. People dying from crohn back then was very rare, even back then. The extreme cases where diet or medication did not help, were operated on, and from the first 9 surgeries, 7 complete recovered without any complications.


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## Kev

I read a number once...  can't remember whether it was a posting in a thread on here, or in a link in a thread. Anyway, the info I remember was that life expectancy for a male with Crohns drops to 64.9 years...  now, whether that is 64 years 9 months, or 64 years plus 9 tenths of a year I dunno.  Crohns is nasty...  our GI tract is our bodys engine and source of our immune system.  How exactly Crohns uses our immune system against us is beyond my understanding of medical science; but since it does... the more damage Crohns does to our GI tract, the weaker our immune system.. and also the weaker it then becomes as a weapon against us.  I think this is why Crohns, in and of itself, is not considered a 'killer' disease.  Not that Crohns is a thinking, strategizing enemy. Merely it is an opportunistic ... 'parasite'.  It doesn't want to kill the host, because it will die with us.  But if you follow Darwinism, then it is the result of countless generations that stem from a 'bug' that mastered the ability to drain the life out of its host without killing it (us). No, I think it is the complications, EIM's, leaky gut syndrome, plus maybe some of the side effects of the drugs we take to treat the disease that are our biggest threats to life.  Seriously, take the time to read the risks associated with the drugs our doctors give us to fight our illness. Scary!!


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## Ckt

I hear ya kev! I have had 13! Cat scans this year alone..I feel like can er woman walking!


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## Kev

I didn't hit 13, but I had like 6 back in 2006 alone. Took years for me to stop glowing in the dark.  But the missus saved a fortune in tanning booth sessions. Then, a few years after the summer of CT, the 'authorities' announced that the health risks associated with CT scans were much, MUCH higher than earlier estimated.  So much higher they advised reducing the use of the technology except for cases where the circumstances were worth the risk. I tell you, that left me feeling less than warm N fuzzy.  But, que sera, sera.


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## KWalker

I don't know about you guys but I'm sure as hell living until I'm old enough to need one of those electric scooters!  Some old guys really get those things moving!  

I've read lots of articles that say there is no life expectancy differences if you have crohns. Just take care of it


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## David

KWalker said:


> I don't know about you guys but I'm sure as hell living until I'm old enough to need one of those electric scooters!  Some old guys really get those things moving!


I'm personally planning for a HOVER scooter.

:headbang:


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## Trevor

I see your hover scooter and raise you a hover toilet 

Two birds with one stone.


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## Ckt

That is soo funny!!the hover round!!would be even funnier has I not received an email recently saying I could qualify!!hey!!im not that stinking old!!i have an older brother I'm going to emulate..he got a Ducati at 57!


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## KWalker

I was going to say the hover-round but didn't know if you guys would have seen that commercial in other places.   I can't wait till the day to get one of these bad boys test fitted in my house.


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## KWalker

Kev said:


> t life expectancy for a male with Crohns drops to 64.9 years...  now, whether that is 64 years 9 months, or 64 years plus 9 tenths of a year I dunno.



Come on Kev, looking at your avatar we all know that's not true!


.....LOL!:ytongue:


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## acheallova

I almost died in May when i was diagnosed, but it was b/c i was living with "undiagnosed" Crohns. Team of docs said few more hours n it was bye bye me. B/c of that episode, i didnt wake up for 10 days. Could've been the meds tho, I'm not sure. However, still here today to go thru more n more tests and se my GIRLS! Hugs to all......


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## SandyUte

David said:


> I'm personally planning for a HOVER scooter.
> 
> :headbang:


I'm too late.:frown:  No Hoover for me! I already have a jazzy chair and I don't think they would let me trade it in any more. :yfrown:  (I had a stroke several years ago and am now mostly recovered.)
But seriously, I looked at this thread because I want my hubby, the IBDer to be around for a long time.  I am only an IBSer.  We  both want to be around for a lot of years, though.


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## SandyUte

acheallova said:


> I almost died in May when i was diagnosed, but it was b/c i was living with "undiagnosed" Crohns. Team of docs said few more hours n it was bye bye me. B/c of that episode, i didnt wake up for 10 days. Could've been the meds tho, I'm not sure. However, still here today to go thru more n more tests and se my GIRLS! Hugs to all......


My husband was close to gone, too, but recovered well after surgery.  He prob. had crohn's for 15 to 20 years prior.


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## Kev

No, that picture of me...  I used software to age it prematurely... so I could see what I'll look like when I'm mature N all grown up.


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