Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that can affect the entire digestive tract – though it most often appears where the small intestine meets the large intestine.

Typical symptoms of Crohn’s disease include:

• persistent abdominal pain
• diarrhoea
• fatigue
• weight loss

The disease often comes in flare-ups and can seriously affect quality of life.

The exact causes of Crohn’s disease are still not fully understood. Researchers suspect an interplay of genetic factors, environmental factors and a misdirected immune response.

Treatment of Crohn’s disease depends on how severe the symptoms are. Options include anti-inflammatory drugs such as corticosteroids, immunosuppressants and modern biologics that target inflammatory processes in the gut. In particularly severe cases, surgery may be needed to remove damaged sections of the intestine.

Alongside medication, hygiene plays an important part in easing the symptoms of Crohn’s disease. A butt shower cleans the anal area especially gently, without irritating sensitive skin the way rubbing with toilet paper does. That can lower the risk of inflammation and infection – a common problem for people with inflammatory bowel disease.

A useful companion is the toilet stool, which brings your body into a natural squat on the toilet. This posture makes it easier to empty the bowel completely and can reduce pressure in the abdomen – especially helpful with inflammatory bowel conditions like Crohn’s disease.

“Caring for the buttocks and anal wounds is made much easier with a butt shower, because a butt shower makes it much easier to clean inflamed skin.”

- Dr. Daniel Sterzing, Proctological Center Berlin.