Disease AP

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Disease AP

I am studying colon cancer for my disease class.Colon cancer runs in my family, there is a trend of people having it. Through this, I have learned how this disease affects a whole line of people I know and how it is genetically passed down over time. I will go over in this research paper how it affects the person, from their physical health to their daily life. Also I will go over its treatment and how prevalent it is in the population.

People who eat a lot of gluten and salt and have other unhealthy diet choices have a higher chance of getting it but is is also a genetic disease so you would have to have it in your blood line. Stress physical and mental, like anxiety can bring it on.  Also African- Americans have a greater chance of getting it. Colon cancer is not transmissible because it is genetic and passed down. It is a multifactorial disease because it is genetic but environmental factors trigger it. This is a polygenic diseases. This disease affects the colon and large intestine which is in the digestive system. It also affects the immune/lymphatic system. You get stomach ulcers in your large intestine, maldigestion and chronic diarrhea. It affects their daily life by restricting their diet, and their daily activity they have very little energy and must rest a lot because of the diaraha they have to limit their activity and where they can go. Extreme cases involve surgically removing the colon and rerouting the body waste into a colostomy bag. This is very disruptive to every part of a person's life and work. My patient only had ulcerative colitis and it didn’t progress to cancer she is on daily drugs for the rest of her life and has a 1 in 8 chance of having the gene for cancer but hopefully would prevent this. The daily use of mercaptopurine suppresses the immune system and makes the patient more susceptible to other diseases.              

Before we go over the  interview, I want to inform you a bit about colon cancer. Some symptoms are bloody stool, diarrhea,stomach pain,and extreme loss of energy. Some words that you should know are colonoscopies, sigmoidoscope, mercaptopurine and, Crohn's disease. Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestines, especially the colon and it is associated with ulcers or polyps in the stomach. Mercaptopurine medication is used for cancer and autoimmune diseases - specifically it is used to treat lymphocytic leukemia and chronic myeloid leukemia also Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis. Sigmoidoscopic is an examination of the sigmoid colon by means of a flexible tube inserted through the anus. A colonoscopy is a procedure in which a flexible fiber-optic instrument is inserted through the anus in order to examine the colon. It finds pre-cancerous polyps so they can be removed.

I interviewed a person who has experience with this disease, she had ulcerative colitis and all the symptoms that would point to cancer. She has a close family member that has the disease and had to get a colostomy. Her grandfather died from it.  Some things this person said was, it is inconvenient and you have to be careful what you eat but you can manage it. This disease happens in a greater degree in the Eastern Hemisphere where they eat salty foods and eat soy which has a lot of salt which may contribute to the disease. It seems to be present in the UK where they eat a lot of meat. “My grandfather and aunt had it, I have a 1 in 8 chance of having it”. You can learn to change your lifestyle to be healthy and not to be a worrier and be careful about diet. Pay attention to your gut. If you’re in a flare, huge loss of energy and pains in gut. It can't be prevented but it can be managed through colonoscopies, diet, and an anti cancer drug. You can see how this affects the daily life of a “normal” person. I really think that it would be difficult emotionally to know that you have a disease like that in your bloodline and just have to hope that you don't get it. knowing it's like a 1 in 8 chance given my genetic history. Also, I think it would be difficult to watch what you eat all the time because if you want a quick snack you have to make sure it won’t causes issues with your system.

“Colon Cancer.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 31 Oct. 2017, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/colon-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20353669\