Crohn’s Disease Symptoms

Crohn’s disease is a condition which causes inflammation of the digestive or gastrointestinal (GI) tract. It can occur anywhere in the GI tract; but is predominant in the lower part of the small intestine, in the ileum. This swelling reaches the lining of the affected organ to cause pain and leads to the frequent emptying of intestines to lead to diarrhea.

Crohn’s disease is referred by different names depending on the inflammation that occurs in different parts of the intestine. Inflammation that is found in the end of the small intestine is referred to as Crohn’s terminal ileitis and Crohn’s entero-coilitis and ileo-colitis are the terms used to describe the inflammation of the small intestine and colon. In both cases of Crohn’s disease, a small intestinal obstruction, diarrhea and abdominal pain are the common symptoms.

As the symptoms of Crohn’s disease are similar to other intestinal disorders, they are difficult to diagnose. Sufferers usually have all the layers of the intestine involved in the infection where there may also be healthy bowel found in between the sections of diseased bowel. The most common symptoms are abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, arthritis, skin problems, fever and sometimes persistent bleeding that leads to anemia.

Crohn’s disease is a life long condition where there are flare ups of the symptoms that tend to alternate with periods of remission. There is no actual trigger for a relapse but when a person suffers from symptoms of Crohn’s disease it indicates that the disease is active.

Diarrhea that arises from Crohn’s disease may contain blood, pus or mucus that may go up to 10 or 20 times a day, even at night. This may in turn lead to painful tears or fissures developing around the anus. The pain in the abdomen associated with Crohn’s disease is referred to be cramping or colicky. In such cases, the abdomen becomes sore to the touch, and tends to swell up.

Weight loss is another symptom of Crohn’s disease that is a consequence of diarrhea and the loss of appetite a person develops when suffering from Crohn’s disease. Another symptom of Crohn’s disease is mouth ulcers, joint pain, inflammation in the eyes and rashes or ulcers that are found on the skin.

A chronic sufferer of Crohn’s disease experiences severe inflammation complications which includes fistula which is an abnormal connection that exists between the bowel and a part near the bowel like the bladder, vagina or loop of bowel. These fistulas can lead to recurrent infections of the urinary genital tracts.

Some people suffer from other complications like abscesses that form inside the abdomen or perhaps a stricture that tends to obstruct the passage of bowel movements. And a person, who has suffered from Crohn’s disease for eight to ten years, faces an increased risk of getting bowel cancer.

As it can be seen there are numerous symptoms to Crohn’s disease which are similar to a case of indigestion and piles it is necessary to have a check up with recurrence of the symptoms. This is to prevent complications that may lead to bowel cancer.