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Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Symptoms

What are the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease?

Symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, primarily affect the digestive tract and include appetite loss, diarrhea, weight loss, rectal bleeding, nausea, and abdominal cramping. Persistent diarrhea can cause malnutrition, weakness, and electrolyte imbalances; younger individuals may be small or experience delayed growth.

Common symptoms of IBD

  • Bloody stool (the blood may be red, black, or tarry in texture)
  • Fatigue
  • Loss of appetite
  • Low red blood cell count (anemia)
  • Nausea with or without vomiting
  • Skin lesions
  • Unexplained weight loss

Extraintestinal symptoms of IBD

  • A small percentage of people who have IBD will have symptoms involving other organs or areas of the body including:
  • Eye pain and redness
  • Joint aches and pains
  • Mouth ulcers
  • Skin rash or changes

Serious symptoms that might indicate a life-threatening condition

In some cases, inflammatory bowel disease can produce continuous diarrhea that can cause severe and sometimes life-threatening dehydration or other serious symptoms. Seek immediate medical care (call 911) if you, or someone you are with, have any of these life-threatening symptoms including:

INTRODUCTION

What is inflammatory bowel disease?

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) occurs when inflammation in the small intestine and colon produces redness, bleeding and pus, which, in turn, cause such symptoms as diarrhea. Inflammation impairs the colon’s ability to hold its contents, resulting in frequent elimination. IBD includes the conditions ulcerative ... Read more about inflammatory bowel disease introduction

CAUSES

What causes inflammatory bowel disease?

The exact cause of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is not known. It is known to run in families and is more prevalent in certain groups, such as people of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. It may have an autoimmune component, in which the immune system, which normally protects us from harmful invaders, interprets foods and other substances as “foreign” and launches an immune response. This reaction results in the release of antibodies and white blood cells into the intestines, which leads to inflammatory symptoms and ulcerations. It is not known why the immune system perceives food as an invader, but high levels... Read more about inflammatory bowel disease causes

TREATMENTS

How is inflammatory bowel disease treated?

Currently, there is no cure for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The goal of treatment is to ease the symptoms, remedy the nutritional deficiencies, and reduce the number of recurrences, or flare-ups. Medication and surgery are used to manage the symptoms of IBD.... Read more about inflammatory bowel disease treatments

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Medical Reviewer: All content has been reviewed by board-certified physicians under the direction of Rich Klasco, M.D., FACEP. Last Annual Review Date: May 2, 2011 Copyright: © Copyright 2011 Health Grades, Inc. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or reprinted without permission from Health Grades, Inc. Use of this information is governed by the HealthGrades User Agreement.

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