Symptoms of Crohn’s disease
Symptoms of Crohn's disease
Crohn’s disease is a disorder that affects the digestive tract, anywhere from the mouth to the anus (usually the lower part of the small intestine). It causes an inflammation in the digestive tract, and therefore causing swelling. It is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that can strongly affect the quality of life for anybody who is infected.
The swelling can cause pain in the intestines and diarrhea, similar to other inflammatory bowel diseases. Thus, Crohn’s disease can be hard to diagnose. Patients between the ages of 20 and 30 are most likely to be diagnosed, and people of Jewish heritage are most at risk for Crohn’s disease. While diagnoses are common, the cause of Crohn’s disease is still unknown to scientists. There are theories as to how one develops Crohn’s disease, but none are concrete in their findings. What is known is that Crohn’s disease affects the immune system, causing it to consider things such as food and healthy bacteria as foreign and dangerous. As a result, the digestive tract may experience inflammation and subsequent discomfort and pain.
There are many symptoms of disease for Crohn’s disease, and some may be more severe than others. These symptoms of disease may come suddenly or develop gradually. As common with some other diseases, an individual with Crohn’s disease may have periods of remission where symptoms of disease are not present.
A few symptoms of disease to watch out for include:
1. Diarrhea
Cells in the intestine experiencing inflammation often secrete large amounts of water and salt that your colon cannot completely absorb. This causes diarrhea, the most common symptom of disease for those infected with Crohn’s. The intense intestinal cramping may also cause loose stool. Obvious discomfort comes with diarrhea, but during times of remission, there may be no peculiar cases of diarrhea.
2. Abdominal pain and/or cramping
Crohn’s disease may cause symptoms of disease that cause abdominal pain. The inflammation and ulcers caused by Crohn’s can cause a build up of scar tissue in your bowels. The swelling and scar tissue can impede the traveling of contents through your digestive track, causing pain and cramping. If the cramping is severe, it may cause nausea and vomiting in the individual.
3. Bloody stool
Blood in the stool is another common symptom of disease for Crohn’s. The inflamed tissue may bleed due to contents moving through your digestive tract. If the individual sees blood in the toilet, it may be symptoms of disease.
4. Ulcers
Ulcers are symptoms of disease in the form of small sores that may form on the surface of the intestine. These ulcers may grow into larger ulcers that are very painful and may grow infected. If infected, these ulcers may need separate treatment from normal treatment of Crohn’s disease. As Crohn’s affecs the entire digestive track, ulcers may also develop in the mouth.
5. Lack of appetite
Since some of the symptoms of disease include abdominal pain and cramping, the inflamed walls of your bowels can kill appetite and cause weight loss. Weight loss is also caused by the inability to digest and absorb food and nutrients, possibly making nutritional deficiency one of the symptoms of disease.