In a person with Crohn’s disease, the immune system attacks parts of the gastrointestinal system and damages it. Crohn’s disease can last years and in some cases can be lifelong, with symptoms worsening overtime.
It is also known that the disease affects people in different ways, but some common symptoms are abdominal pain and cramping, fever, fatigue, blood in stool, as well as pain and lesions in the anal region, due to frequent bowel movements. Doctors are still unsure what exactly causes Crohn’s disease, but factors such as a person’s immune system, genes, and environment can influence whether or not they get the disease. Crohn’s disease causes chronic inflammation of the digestive system, typically the intestine and colon (although it can form anywhere along the gastrointestinal tract). Comparing Alfred’s symptoms such as the severe pain and anal lesion to present-day illness, we can come to the conclusion that Alfred was most likely suffering from Crohn’s disease.Ĭrohn’s disease is an incurable, lifelong disease. Given medical discoveries since Alfred’s time, we have a much better understanding of his symptoms. Others thought that it might just be an unknown fever, or even possibly hemorrhoids. Because there were no concrete diagnoses, rumors spread that King Alfred was possessed by the devil or that he was being punished by a witch. The pain persisted for over twenty years, and the cause remained unknown to physicians at the time. It was after the feast that Alfred began experiencing a harsh and relentless pain. In his book, Asser explains that Alfred had a huge feast after his marriage to his bride, Ealhswith. Much of the information we have about Alfred’s condition comes from Asser’s writings. After all of this studying, researchers have come to the conclusion that it is most likely that King Alfred suffered from Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel disease that causes chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Upon studying his symptoms, many people have considered several conditions that the king may have suffered from, including neuritis (inflammation of a nerve), epilepsy, sexually transmitted diseases, or even psychosomatic illnesses due to stress. Fortunately for us, we can now look at the book and learn about the king’s symptoms.
In Asser’s book Life of Alfred, he writes much on the subject of Alfred’s health. Asser, the Welsh bishop of King Alfred, studied the King’s illness and kept records of his symptoms. It is known that through much of his life King Alfred suffered from illness that caused him severe pain. Alfred is the only English monarch given the title “the Great.” This could be due to his work defending against Viking invasions and his social reforms. King Alfred the Great ruled the Saxon kingdom of Wessex, located in southwestern England, from the years 871 to 899CE.
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