Historical Figures with Crohn's Disease
Alfred, King of Wessex (879-899), suffered from a mysterious ailment throughout his lifetime that is now suspected to have been Crohn’s disease.
Dwight David Eisenhower, served 2 terms as the 34th president of the United States and signed the civil rights acts in 1957 and 1960. In his time in office, he was a popular and beloved hero, known for honesty and determination. He was also the first president to have a pilot’s license. Eisenhower was also among the famous people with Crohn’s disease, which at the time, was called ileitis, for which he underwent emergency surgery in July of 1956; he was then elected to his 2nd term of presidency in November that same year.
John F. Kennedy, another former US leader, was sick from the age of 13 on, and ended up being in far greater pain and taking many more medications than what was previously known. He was also troubled by serious backpain and was on 10-12 medications a day, including injections from the White House physician. He also reportedly could not put his own shoes on due to the pain.