Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Crohn’s Disease

Chicago patients may now avail of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Crohn’s disease. Abdominal pain, diarrhea, and malabsorption are all debilitating symptoms of Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory illness of the gastrointestinal tract that typically affects the ileum.

A colon resection may be necessary if the response to medical therapy is unsatisfactory, but the cause of the illness is unknown, so treatment is focused on symptomatology.

Hyperbaric oxygen treatment has shown promise in reducing inflammation associated with acute exacerbations of Crohn’s disease, leading to symptom relief and enhanced quality of life.

Here, we report on two examples of children who had hyperbaric oxygen therapy cycles for Crohn’s disease flares.

Each individual continued to experience symptoms despite extensive medical treatment. Treatment with hyperbaric oxygen improved both patients’ symptoms to the point that they could decrease their prescription dosages.

Hyperbaric oxygen seems to be a safe adjuvant in the treatment of refractory exacerbations of Crohn’s disease, though the processes by which it does so are not well understood.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Crohn’s Disease

What is Crohn’s Disease?

A colon resection may be necessary if the response to medical therapy is unsatisfactory, but the cause of the illness is unknown, so treatment is focused on symptomatology.

Hyperbaric oxygen treatment has shown promise in reducing inflammation associated with acute exacerbations of Crohn’s disease, leading to symptom relief and enhanced quality of life.

Here, we report on two examples of children who had hyperbaric oxygen therapy cycles for Crohn’s disease flares.

Hyperbaric oxygen seems to be a safe adjuvant in the treatment of refractory exacerbations of Crohn’s disease, though the processes by which it does so are not well understood.

What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?

For over 70 years, doctors have turned to hyperbaric oxygen therapy to help injured tissues recover. According to the research, it helps chronic wounds heal faster.

By boosting the amount of oxygen carried by blood cells, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is used to hasten the recovery of injured or infected tissues. Hyperbaric pressure is characterized by its combination of the words “hyper” and “baric,” which indicate “increased” and “pressure,” respectively.

The hyperbaric chamber is where the treatment takes place; thus, the patient will go there. Patients get their hoods put on in the chamber. Patients are able to breathe pure oxygen in a pressurized environment thanks to the pressurized chamber and hoods.

A hyperbaric chamber is available at several healthcare facilities. A smaller unit size may be provided in outpatient facilities.

In a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, the air pressure is about 2.5 times that of atmospheric pressure. This increases the amount of oxygen your blood can carry, which benefits your organs and tissues.

The higher oxygen pressure in the tissues may have additional benefits, including:

Better and more abundant oxygen supply
Decreased edema and swelling
Putting an end to the spread of infection

Infected wounds, in particular, benefit greatly from hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Treatment with this method can be used for:

Crush injuries
Certain types of brain or sinus infections
Gas gangrene
Wounds that have not healed with other treatments (for example, it may be used to treat a foot ulcer in someone with diabetes or very bad circulation)
Radiation injury (for example, damage from radiation therapy for cancer)
Skin grafts
Bone infections (osteomyelitis) that do not improve with other treatments
Air or gas embolism
Necrotizing soft tissue infections
Decompression sickness (for example, a diving injury)
Frost bites
Carbon monoxide poisoning
Burns

“Whole lung lavage” is a medical process used to clear the entire lung in patients with specific medical disorders, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be utilized to ensure that the patient receives an adequate amount of oxygen during the procedure.

It is common for chronic diseases to require multiple sessions of treatment spread out across several days or weeks. A longer therapy session for a more acute disease, such as decompression sickness, may not be necessary.

The hyperbaric chamber could cause some discomfort in the ears. The pressure in the chamber is so high that your ears may bulge as you emerge.

How does hyperbaric oxygen therapy work?

One can significantly boost blood oxygen levels by breathing pure oxygen in the pressurized chamber.

By encouraging the growth of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) at the wound site, this boost in oxygen levels aids in the healing process and can even aid in the eradication of some particularly stubborn infections.

Since HBOT increases blood oxygen levels, it helps the body repair more quickly. In a pressurized and oxygen-rich chamber, the patient undergoes treatment.

Tissue in the body can’t carry out its functions without enough oxygen supply. Injured tissue has an even higher oxygen demand for repair. “Hypoxic” wounds account for a large percentage of chronic wounds (deprived of oxygen). With the increased supply of oxygen provided by hyperbaric oxygen therapy, damaged tissues can recover from their injuries much more quickly. Some of the advantages of hyperbaric oxygen therapy are:

Low-risk
Cost-effective
Noninvasive
Lifesaving
Vision and limb saving
Evidence-based
Well-tolerated

The first patients to get hyperbaric oxygen therapy were deep-sea divers suffering from decompression sickness. Since then, it has expanded to treat a wide range of medical issues, such as carbon monoxide overdose, gas gangrene, and necrotizing fasciitis (“flesh-eating disease”). Tissues that are low on oxygen are given a boost thanks to this treatment. New blood vessel formation, less inflammation, and improved resistance to pathogenic microorganisms are all possible benefits of higher oxygen intake.

Some medical professionals think that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) could help lessen Crohn’s disease flare-ups by reducing inflammation. Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that manifests itself through digestive tract irritation and inflammation. If not addressed, it can lead to a potentially fatal sickness. The effectiveness of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Crohn’s disease has been substantiated by research in multiple intervention-free studies.

How Does Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Work?

Hyperbaric oxygen chambers are small rooms that are hermetically shut off from the outside air. The percentage of oxygen in typical indoor air is 21%. A simple oxygen mask, however, can increase the oxygen content of the air you breathe in from 35 to 50 percent. The chamber is inflated to 100% oxygen while you remain inside.

Hyperbaric oxygen chamber sessions can last anything from 45 minutes to 5 hours. Your doctor should be consulted regarding the optimal amount of sessions.

Equipment like oxygen masks and specific bags are used to treat the symptoms of altitude sickness. In an attempt to save money, some people have tried to perform their own hyperbaric treatments at home using these. This is not something you should do, according to the FDA. Without proper monitoring of the user’s oxygen intake and duration of treatment, DIY HBOT devices pose serious risks, including fire and suffocation.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Crohn’s Disease Treatment

Corticosteroids, anti-inflammatories, and immunomodulators are the standard treatment for irritable bowel disease (IBD), which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. It’s unfortunate that these treatments rarely permanently alleviate symptoms.

A doctor treating a patient with Crohn’s disease may recommend hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in addition to the patient’s current prescription regimen, which may include corticosteroids, anti-inflammatory drugs, and immunomodulatory drugs. This is supplementary care only and not the primary treatment. However, studies on the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for IBD have produced mixed findings, with some patients benefiting and others not.

Several studies have shown that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is an effective method of treating Crohn’s disease.

Clinical improvements were seen in 78% of Crohn’s disease patients who underwent HBOT, according to the results of a meta-analysis of thirteen studies.

Patients with Crohn’s disease benefit from HBOT because it helps by…

Increased tissue oxygenation and decreased inflammation
Enhanced oxygenation of the tissue surrounding wounds and fistulas promotes a healing response and leads to faster wound closure.
Reduced need for pain medicines and the associated suffering
lowered levels of emotional and physical strain
Boosting the Recovery of Healthy Bowel Flora
More waste products and pollutants are flushed out of the body.
Reducing the prevalence of disease-causing germs and infections and maximizing the therapeutic benefits of antibiotics
Prescription drug improvement

The use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a safe and promising new area of research. Patients with Crohn’s disease who undergo hyperbaric oxygen therapy report a reduction in symptoms and an improvement in their quality of life. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Crohn’s disease is FDA-approved.

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Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Crohn’s Disease

What is Crohn’s Disease?

What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?

How does hyperbaric oxygen therapy work?

How Does Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Work?

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Crohn’s Disease Treatment

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