Robin Ventura and Crohn's disease

1. Robin Ventura and Crohn's disease By: Giovanni Storniolo & Angel Baez

2. Crohn’s disease Background • Named after Burrill Bernard Crohn • Also known as Crohn syndrome and regional enteritis, a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

3. Crohn’s disease What is Crohn's disease? • An inflammatory bowel disease that may affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract  • This can range from the mouth to the anus

4. Epidemiology • The percentage of people with Crohn's disease has been determined in Norway and the United States and is similar at 6 to 7.1:100,000 • Crohn’s tends to strike people in their teens and 20s, and people in their 50s through to their 70s • Usually affects females more severely than males • Parents, siblings or children of people with Crohn's disease are 3 to 20 times more likely to develop the disease.

5. Symptoms • Diarrhea • Abdominal pain • Fever • Rectal bleeding • Weight loss • Intestinal obstructions (an object blocking the normal flow of your intestines)

6. Diagnosing Crohn’s • It can be difficult to diagnose Crohn's disease, Everyone has a different experience. People who might have Crohn's but haven’t been diagnosed often have symptoms such as: • Unexplained weight loss • Stomach pain and cramping • Blood in their stool

7. Stages of Crohn’s • Mild to Moderate Crohn’s Disease- people are able to eat food normally without dehydration, fevers, stomach pain, etc. • Moderate to severe Crohn’s Disease- people are considered to have moderate to severe Crohn’s Disease if they have high fevers, weight loss, vomiting, etc. • Severe Crohn’s Disease- People with severe Crohn’s Disease have symptoms despite taking steroids, high fevers, persistent vomiting, blockages in their intestines, etc.

8. Cause • The exact cause of Crohn's disease is unknown. It is a condition that occurs when your body's immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissue (autoimmune disorder)

9. Medical Interventions • Blood tests • Stool Examinations • Barium X-Ray • CT scans • Endoscopic Tests

10. Robin’s Path to the Diagnosis of Crohn’s Disease

11. Robin Ventura • 16 years old • Born and raised in Gotham, NY September 1994 • Robin starts feeling strange things while using the bathroom and stomach starts to hurt

12. 1 Month Later October 1994 Robin begins to have constant painful diarrhea Robin also spots blood in his diarrhea, yet he chooses to ignore this believing it’s nothing

13. November It’s been 2 months since robin has had rare occurrences and starts to worry a lot • Robin has drastically lost weight although he has not stopped eating in any way • Robin explains to his mom that his stomach hurts and thinks he should see a doctor

14. Trip to the doctor • Robin sits down with the doctor and discusses the weird problems that have been bothering him for the past months • Doctor Wayne decides to perform blood tests and barium X- rays on Mr. Ventura

15. Blood test • A blood test is a laboratory analysis performed on a blood sample that is usually extracted from a vein in the arm using a needle, or via finger prick

16. Barium X-ray • A barium X-ray is a radiographic X-ray examination of the gastrointestinal GI tract. Barium X-rays are used to diagnose abnormalities of the GI tract, such as tumors, ulcers and other inflammatory conditions

17. Bad news December 1994 Doctor Wayne reveals the bad news. Bad news: Robin has a great possibility of having a genetic case of Crohn’s disease in which he could have inherited from his unknown father. (Robin was adopted) Good news: Robin is projected to still have months to about a year to live

18. Treatment? Hope? No hope • Unfortunately, there is nothing Doctor Wayne can do to help save and cure Robin from what he is believed to have, Crohn’s disease. Although there is no cure for the disease, there are things to help ease the pain such as; • Antibiotics • Corticosteroids

19. Antibiotics • Antibiotics, also known as antibacterials, are types of medications that destroy or slow down the growth of bacteria • Researchers also believe that antibiotics help reduce harmful intestinal bacteria and suppress the intestine's immune response, which can trigger symptoms of Crohn's disease

20. Corticosteroids (steroids) Corticosteroids are treatments for Crohn’s disease that help reduce inflammation. Doctors generally use them only if you have moderate to severe Crohn’s that don't respond to other treatments. Corticosteroids are man-made drugs that closely resemble cortisol, a hormone that your adrenal glands produce naturally

21. Few months later February 1995 • After several tests; barium x rays, blood tests and even stool tests, Doctor Wayne officially diagnosis Robin with severe terminal Crohn’s disease • Symptoms are extremely detectable and despite the efforts of Doctor Wayne’s medications to help ease the pain, the disease is blocking his intestinal tract so much that even surgery couldn’t help him

22. Final moments Summer 1995 • Crohn’s has led robin to a very ill state • Although he realizes he doesn’t have much time, Robin decides he wants to leave his life excitingly. • Robin spends his last moments with the man that gave him some hope, Doctor Wayne

23. In loving memory of Robin Ventura • Crohn’s had taken it’s toll on Robin and it’s extreme GI tract inflammation has caused his inner organs to fail and shut down, Robin Ventura is dead

24. R.I.P

25. Sources • http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/irritable-bowel-syndrome-000103_5-145.html?ic=506048 • http://umm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/crohns-disease • http://www.crohnsandme.com/crohns-information/what-is-crohns.aspx • http://www.ccfa.org/what-are-crohns-and-colitis/what-is-crohns-disease/ • http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/crohns/ • http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/crohns-disease/basics/definition/con-20032061 • http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/crohnsdisease.html