Crohn's Disease: Symptoms

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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 per 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.
• Loss of appetite.
• 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 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 an intestinal abscess.

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Last updated:	October 24, 2006
Author:	Monica Rhodes
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, Arvydas D. Vanagunas, MD - Gastroenterology
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Terrina Vail