Symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

June 10, 2008 - 7:30am

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Symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Diarrhea and abdominal pain are usually the first symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease. Symptoms may come and go. People with this disease may sometimes have periods of few or no symptoms.

Many symptoms are related to the inflammation in the digestive system, these include:

Persistent diarrhea, often with blood and/or mucous appearing in stools
Abdominal cramps and pain
Rectal bleeding
Mouth sores as well as sores and abscesses in the anal area (with Crohn’s disease)

Symptoms caused by the diarrhea and rectal bleeding include:

Anemia
Weight loss
Fatigue
Weakness

Symptoms related to a system-wide inflammatory process associated with inflammatory bowel disease may include:

Fever
Arthritis
Skin rashes
Eye pain or inflammation
Kidney stones
Other system-wide conditions

References:

American Gastroenterological Association website. Available at: http://www.gastro.org/ . Accessed March 6, 2006.

Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America website. Available at: http://www.ccfa.org/ . Accessed March 6, 2006.

National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse website. Available at: http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ . Accessed March 6, 2006.

Primary Care Medicine . 4th ed. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; 2000.

Rakel RE, Bope ET. Conn's Current Therapy 2001 . 53rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders Company; 2001.

Last reviewed March 2009 by ]]>Daus Mahnke, MD]]>

Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.