Symptoms of Crohn's disease
Symptoms of Crohn's disease: Introduction
The severity and types of symptoms of Crohn's disease vary from person to person. Typical symptoms include diarrhea and abdominal pain, often in the lower right section of the abdomen. Rectal bleeding due to severe GI tract inflammation or the development of ulcers may also occur. People with Crohn's disease may also experience skin problems, weight loss, arthritis, and fever.
Not all of the above symptoms are always related to Crohn's disease. Although abdominal pain and diarrhea are typical of Crohn's disease, they and other symptoms can be related to many other potentially serious conditions, including food poisoning, appendicitis, and pancreatitis. Any episodes of rectal bleeding, vomiting of blood, persistent diarrhea, or moderate to severe abdominal pain should be reported to your health care provider. Only a thorough evaluation by a qualified health care professional can determine what is causing your particular symptoms and make a diagnosis of Crohn's disease.
Symptoms of Crohn's disease
The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources
for Crohn's disease includes the 27
symptoms listed below:
- Digestive problems - The classic symptoms are severe digestive problems such as:
- Early phases of the diseases may have milder symptoms:
- Low-grade fever, prolonged diarrhea with abdominal pain, weight loss, and generalized fatigability
- Postprandial bloating, cramping pains, and loud borborygmi
- Perianal fissures or fistulae
- Cologastric fistulae may manifest as feculent vomiting, enterovesical fistulae as recurrent urinary tract infections and pneumaturia, enterovaginal fistulae as feculent vaginal discharge, and enterocutaneous fistulae as feculent soiling of the skin.
- Pain in the abdomen
- Bleeding from the rectum
- Skin problems
- more information...»
Research symptoms & diagnosis of Crohn's disease:
Crohn's disease: Complications
Review medical complications possibly associated with Crohn's disease:
Crohn's disease Symptoms: Book Excerpts
Diagnostic Testing
Diagnostic testing of medical conditions related to Crohn's disease:
Research More About Crohn's disease
Do I have Crohn's disease?
Crohn's disease: Medical Mistakes
Crohn's disease: Undiagnosed Conditions
Diseases that may be commonly undiagnosed in related medical areas:
Home Diagnostic Testing
Home medical tests related to Crohn's disease:
- Food Allergies & Intolerances: Home Testing:
- Digestive-Related Home Testing:
- more home tests...»
Wrongly Diagnosed with Crohn's disease?
The list of other diseases or medical conditions
that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses
for Crohn's disease includes:
See the full list of 76
alternative diagnoses for Crohn's disease
Crohn's disease: Research Doctors & Specialists
Research all specialists including ratings, affiliations, and sanctions.
More about symptoms of Crohn's disease:
More information about symptoms of Crohn's disease and related conditions:
Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms
Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list
of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions,
or drug side effect causes of that symptom.
Medical Books Online about Crohn's disease
Medical Books Excerpts
Excerpts of published medical book chapters related to Crohn's disease
are available from published medical books
for more detailed information about Crohn's disease.
Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
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Patient Surveys for Crohn's disease
Symptoms of Crohn's disease: Online Medical Books
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE!
Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration,
for more information about the symptoms of Crohn's disease.
Intestinal obstruction:
Signs and Symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Depending on location of obstruction: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, drowsiness, thirst, rebound tenderness, abdominal distention, dehydration, constipation
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Crohn's disease:
Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Clinical effects may be mild and nonspecific initially; they vary according to the location and extent of the lesion. Acute inflammatory signs and symptoms mimic appendicitis and include steady, colicky pain in the right lower quadrant, cramping, tenderness, flatulence, nausea, fever, and diarrhea. Bleeding may occur and, although usually mild, may be massive. Bloody stools may also occur.
Chronic symptoms, which are more typical of the disease, are more persistent and less severe; they include diarrhea (four to six stools per day) with pain in the right lower abdominal quadrant, steatorrhea (excess fat in feces), marked weight loss and, rarely, clubbing of fingers. The patient may complain of weakness and fatigue. Complications include intestinal obstruction, fistula formation between the small bowel and the bladder, perianal and perirectal abscesses and fistulas, intra-abdominal abscesses, and perforation.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Intestinal obstruction:
Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)
Signs and symptoms depend on the location and extent of the obstruction.
Partial small-bowel obstruction
Colicky pain, nausea, vomiting, constipation, abdominal distention, and signs and symptoms of dehydration characterize small-bowel obstruction.
Auscultation reveals bowel sounds, borborygmi, and rushes; occasionally, they’re loud enough to be heard without a stethoscope. Palpation elicits abdominal tenderness with moderate distention; rebound tenderness occurs when the obstruction has caused strangulation with ischemia. In late stages, signs of hypovolemic shock result from progressive dehydration and plasma loss.
Complete small-bowel obstruction
In a complete small-intestinal (small-bowel) obstruction, vigorous peristaltic waves propel bowel contents toward the mouth instead of the rectum. Spasms may occur every 3 to 5 minutes and last about 1 minute each, with persistent epigastric or periumbilical pain. Small amounts of mucus and blood may be passed. The higher the obstruction, the earlier and more severe the vomiting. Vomitus initially contains gastric juice, then bile, and finally fecal contents of the ileum. Constipation develops with complete obstruction. There’s minimal or no fever. Abdominal distention is pronounced. Mild tenderness is present. Peristaltic rushes and high-pitched tinkles occur during paroxysms of pain. Visible peristalsis may be noted.
Partial large-bowel obstruction
Symptoms of large-bowel obstruction develop more slowly because the colon can absorb fluid from its contents and distend well beyond its normal size. Constipation may be the only symptoms for days. Colicky abdominal pain may appear suddenly, producing spasms that last less than 1 minute each and recur every few minutes. Continuous hypogastric pain and nausea may develop, but vomiting is initially absent.
Large-bowel obstruction can cause dramatic abdominal distention: Loops of large bowel may become visible on the abdomen.
Complete large-bowel obstruction
Eventually, a complete large-bowel obstruction may cause fecal vomiting, continuous pain, or localized peritonitis.
Patients with a partial obstruction may display any of the above signs and symptoms in a milder form. Leakage of liquid stools around the obstruction is common with partial obstruction.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Crohn's disease:
Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)
Clinical effects vary according to the location and extent of the inflammation.
Acute disease
Acute inflammatory signs and symptoms mimic appendicitis and include steady, colicky, pain in the right lower quadrant; cramping; tenderness; flatulence; nausea; fever; and diarrhea. Bleeding may occur and, although usually mild, may be massive. Bloody stool may also occur.
Chronic disease
Chronic symptoms are more typical of the disease, with complaints of abdominal distention and crampy abdominal pain. Symptoms may include a low-grade fever, weight loss, fatigue, and weakness. Diarrhea is usually nonbloody and intermittent, with right lower quadrant or periumbilical pain.
Fistulizing disease results from sinus tracts that can develop and penetrate through the bowel. Fistulas in the mesentery may be asymptomatic or may result in fever, chills, tender abdomen, and leukocytosis. Fistulas from the colon to small intestine can manifest with symptoms of diarrhea, weight loss, and malnutrition.
Complications
Crohn’s disease may lead to intestinal obstruction, fistula formation between the small bowel and the bladder, perianal and perirectal abscesses and fistulas, intra-abdominal abscesses, and perforation.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Article Excerpts About Symptoms of Crohn's disease:
The most common symptoms of Crohn's disease are
abdominal pain, often in the lower right area, and diarrhea. Rectal
bleeding, weight loss, and fever may also occur. Bleeding may be serious
and persistent, leading to anemia. Children with Crohn's disease may
suffer delayed development and stunted growth.
(Source: excerpt from Crohn's Disease: NIDDK)
Crohn's disease as a Cause of Symptoms or Medical Conditions
When considering symptoms of Crohn's disease, it is also important to consider Crohn's disease as a possible cause of other medical conditions.
The Disease Database lists the following medical conditions that Crohn's disease may cause:
- (Source - Diseases Database)
Crohn's disease: Onset and Incubation
Onset of Crohn's disease: Crohn's disease can occur in people of all age groups, but it is more often diagnosed in people between the ages of 20 and 30.
Medical articles and books on symptoms:
These general reference articles may be of interest
in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:
Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis
About signs and symptoms of Crohn's disease:
The symptom information on this page
attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Crohn's disease.
This signs and symptoms information for Crohn's disease has been gathered from various sources,
may not be fully accurate,
and may not be the full list of Crohn's disease signs or Crohn's disease symptoms.
Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Crohn's disease may vary on an individual basis for each patient.
Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they
are indeed Crohn's disease symptoms.
This program discusses medical issues affecting children diagnosed with Crohn's disease and ulcerative coltitis, types of inflammatory bowel...
Yogurt, probiotics and nutritional therapy can be a comfort to people living with inflammatory bowel disease. Listen to experts discuss this approach...
People with colitis and Crohn's disease have an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer. Listen as experts explain the link between IBD...
People with Crohn's and colitis can become malnourished because they can't absorb certain nutrients. Listen to experts discuss the complex...
See full list of 21 related videos
» Next page: Diagnostic Tests for Crohn's disease
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