Question

(Whet mear me Considéring the nutrients thal are digested and absorbed.in the small intestine, what long-term deficiencies would you expect to encounter in a patient with chronically inflamed Crohn's disease that affects more than 40% of the gut? Explain why this may happen, and discuss what alternative method of feeding would be beneficial.

nutrition LVN

Answer 1

Crohn's disease is the inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Chronic inflammation of the small intestine can lead to poor absorption of the most important nutrients in the body resulting in malabsorption and malnutrition. The small intestine absorbs carbohydrates, protein ,fats,vitamins and minerals (iron ,folate, vitamin B12 ,folic acid, vitamin A,vitamin D,Vitamin E,Vitamin K, sodium ,potassium, calcium, zinc, magnesium)

When the intestinal layer which is responsible for absorption is inflammed this will lead to poor or no absorption of the important nutrients leading to deficiency.

The diet should be added with supplements to meet the deficiency of the micronutrients and macronutrients. Enternal nutrition like TPN can be an better alternative in the method of feeding to be beneficial.