Tuesday 8 March 2011

Crohn`s Disease Symptoms

Amplify’d from www.health.com

Crohn's Disease Symptoms

The main symptoms of
Crohn's disease include:

  • Abdominal pain. The pain often is described as
    cramping and intermittent, and the abdomen may be sore when touched. Abdominal
    pain may turn to a dull, constant ache as the condition
    progresses.
  • Diarrhea. Some people may have diarrhea 10 to 20 times
    a day. They may wake up at night and need to go to the bathroom. Crohn's
    disease may cause blood in stools, but not always.
  • Fever. In severe cases, fever or other symptoms that
    affect the entire body may develop. A high fever may mean that you have a
    complication involving infection, such as an
    abscess.
  • Weight loss. Ongoing symptoms,
    such as diarrhea, can lead to weight loss.
  • Too few red blood cells
    (anemia). Some people with Crohn's disease develop
    anemia because of low iron levels caused by bloody stools or the intestinal
    inflammation itself.

People with Crohn's disease also may have:

  • Sores in the mouth.
  • Nutritional
    deficiencies, such as lowered levels of vitamin B12, folic acid, iron, and
    fat-soluble vitamins, because the intestines may not be able to absorb
    nutrients from food.
  • Bowel obstruction.
  • Signs of
    disease in or around the
    anus. These may include:
    • Abnormal tunnels or openings called
      fistulas that sometimes form between organs. These
      develop because Crohn's disease causes inflammation and ulcers in the deep
      layers of the intestinal wall.
      Fistulas Click here to see an illustration. may form between parts of the intestine or
      between the intestine and another organ such as the bladder, vagina, or skin. A
      fistula may be the
      first sign of Crohn's disease.
    • Pockets of infection (abscesses).
    • Small tears in the anus (anal fissures).
    • Skin tags that may resemble
      hemorrhoids. These are caused by inflamed skin.

Because there is some immune system involvement, you also
may have symptoms and
complications outside the digestive tract, such as
joint pain, eye problems, a skin rash, or liver disease.

Other conditions with symptoms similar to Crohn's disease include
diverticulitis and
ulcerative colitis.

Read more at www.health.com
 

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