16 Signs and Symptoms of Crohn’s Disease
If you have stomach discomforts causing toilet issues and unintended weight loss, you might be worried about a serious issue. Crohn’s disease is a long-term digestive tract inflammation that can develop slowly and remain unnoticed until symptoms become severe.
This article will guide you through 16 important signs and symptoms to watch for, helping you recognize when to seek medical advice and prevent complications such as intestinal blockages or severe inflammation that may require surgery.
Common Digestive Symptoms
Crohn’s disease is a chronic condition that can significantly affect daily life, with symptoms that often occur in cycles of flare-ups and periods of relief.
Signs and symptoms may develop gradually and resemble other digestive conditions, causing confusion during diagnosis and sometimes leading to delays in appropriate treatment.
Frequent Diarrhea
Frequent, loose stools are one of the most noticeable and persistent signs of Crohn’s disease. You may need to uncontrollably use the bathroom more than 4–6 times daily, often with little to no warning.
Sometimes, the urgency can be severe enough to wake you up at night. Your stools might be watery, mushy, or unformed, sometimes containing mucus that gives them a slick, gel-like sheen.
You might also notice undigested food, particularly fibrous and hard-to-digest ingredients like vegetables and grains. This occurs when the inflamed intestines interfere with digestion, disrupting the breakdown and absorption of essential nutrients.
Stomach Pain and Cramps
You might experience stomach pain, usually in the lower right, but it can manifest in the whole abdomen. It can feel like a deep pulling, tugging, or twisting sensation, sometimes accompanied by tightness or pressure.
Many describe it as waves of sharp cramps and discomfort, like muscle spasms, that intensify, then briefly ease, and return.
Discomfort often worsens after meals, especially with high-fiber or greasy foods, as inflamed intestines find it hard to digest them.
Certain movements and activities may also trigger or aggravate the pain. You might find yourself adjusting your posture, avoiding sudden motions, or applying pressure to your abdomen with pillows for relief.
Unusual Weight Loss
Even without adjusting meal sizes, intestinal inflammation can reduce nutrient absorption, resulting in gradual or rapid weight loss. Some people may unintentionally lose around 10–20 pounds.
You might first notice your clothes fitting more loosely, especially around the waist, hips, or arms. Your face may appear thinner and sag, with more pronounced cheekbones or a hollowed look around your eyes.
As you lose weight without managing your condition, you may lose muscle tone, which can affect your appearance and make you feel weaker and more tired.
Symptoms like frequent diarrhea and cramping can make it even harder for your body to retain calories, further contributing to weight loss.
Blood in Stool
Noticing blood in your stool can be alarming, but it is a common symptom of Crohn’s disease. You might see bright red streaks in the toilet bowl, mixed with your stool, or as you wipe with toilet paper.
Bleeding can happen as a result of sores or ulcers forming due to inflammation in your digestive tract, particularly in the colon or rectum.
Experiencing frequent episodes of diarrhea and enduring straining during bowel movements can further irritate these sensitive tissues, increasing bleeding risk.
When gastrointestinal bleeding takes place in the upper region, it can lead to dark or black stools, known as melena, due to the blood interacting with gastric juices.
Since some bleeding may not be visible, you should report even slight observations to your doctor for proper evaluation and necessary care.
Enlarged Stomach and Gas
Your stomach may become visibly swollen after meals, with sensations ranging from mild pressure to a heavy, lingering fullness.
This occurs as a result of the inflammation in your intestines, which consequently slows digestion and leads to an accumulation of excess gas within the digestive tract.
As a result, you may experience frequent burping or flatulence, often accompanied by cramping or sharp abdominal pain. Rumbling sounds in your stomach are common, and gas buildup can sometimes make you feel uneasy.
Certain foods can worsen bloating and gas, such as high-fiber vegetables, dairy products, carbonated drinks, and artificial sweeteners.
Eating too quickly or swallowing excess air due to stress may also increase discomfort.
Other Symptoms
Crohn’s disease does not only affect the digestive system but can also cause symptoms in other parts of the body. These symptoms may develop over time and vary in severity, sometimes appearing alongside digestive issues.
Fatigue and Weakness
Feeling tired all the time is common with Crohn’s disease. Even after a full night’s sleep, you might still feel exhausted and struggle to complete daily tasks.
Your body uses extra energy to cope with the inflammation, leaving you feeling physically and mentally drained. You may often yawn, have difficulty concentrating, and feel sluggish, especially during flare-ups when inflammation is at its peak.
Everyday activities like climbing stairs, carrying groceries, or standing for long periods may feel more strenuous and exhausting than usual.
Fever
When Crohn’s disease flares up, your body may develop a fever as part of the inflammatory response. You may feel hot, flushed, or fatigued as your body temperature might rise between 100°F and 103°F (37.8°C and 39.4°C).
Chills can occur suddenly with fever, causing cold sensations and shivering, followed by sweating episodes, particularly at night or when resting.
Your sleep may be interrupted as you wake up damp, overheated, or sweaty, sometimes needing to change clothes or bed linens more frequently.
Loss of Appetite
Inflammation in your digestive tract can disrupt hunger signals, making you feel full even when you haven’t eaten much. You may feel less hungry than usual, and food might seem unappealing.
Pain, bloating, and cramping can make eating uncomfortable, leading you to skip meals or eat less to avoid discomfort. Fatigue can further suppress your appetite by lowering your energy levels and motivation to eat.
Pale Skin Color
Crohn’s disease can severely hinder the body’s absorption of iron and vitamin B12, resulting in lower red blood cell counts, leading to visible signs of anemia that may be hard to ignore.
As a result, your skin might appear paler than usual, especially around your face, lips, and nail beds, and become more noticeable as your anemia worsens, making you look unwell.
Dizziness
When standing up quickly, you might feel lightheaded or dizzy. This happens because anemia reduces oxygen flow to your brain, leading to brief episodes of imbalance and instability.
The room might spin, and you could feel weak or unsteady on your feet. Sometimes, dizziness can be accompanied by headaches or a sense of mental fog.
Painful Lumps, Ulcers, or Rashes
Crohn’s disease can cause inflammation that affects not just the digestive system, but also the skin, resulting in noticeable and often uncomfortable lesions.
One common symptom is a skin condition called erythema nodosum, which appears as red, tender skin lumps on your shins, ankles, or arms.
The swollen bumps are warm and sore, ranging from small, bruise-like spots to larger, painful nodules that darken before fading.
Skin ulcers often occur in moist and friction-prone areas like the groin, under the breasts, and in skin folds. These sores start small but can gradually grow, becoming painful and irritated.
You may also notice rashes on different parts of your body. Some patches may be dry and scaly, while others can blister or ooze, leading to increased infection risk.
Joint Pain and Swelling
During Crohn’s disease flare-ups, your joints may become stiff, swollen, and painful, especially in your knees, ankles, and hands, resembling arthritis.
This discomfort often worsens with prolonged periods of sitting or lying down and may make daily activities and movement more difficult.
One of the most noticeable symptoms is morning stiffness, which makes it hard to move your joints when you wake up after a long rest.
The area around the affected joints may feel warm, tender, or swollen; in some cases, visible puffiness or redness may develop.
Unlike some types of arthritis, this joint pain does not usually cause permanent damage and tends to improve as intestinal inflammation decreases.
Eye Problems and Blurred Vision
Crohn’s disease can cause eye inflammation, including the sclera. Your eyes may appear red, dry, irritated, or watery, and bright lights can be uncomfortable, particularly in sunlight or while using screens.
Eye pain can range from a dull ache to a sharp sting, and may be accompanied by swelling or a sensation of pressure around the eyes. If untreated, severe inflammation can damage eye tissues and lead to further vision problems.
Painful Mouth Ulcers
Crohn’s disease can cause painful mouth ulcers on the lips, gums, tongue, and inner cheeks. These ulcers are circular or oval-shaped, featuring a pale white or yellowish center surrounded by a red, irritated border.
These ulcers can make eating, drinking, and speaking uncomfortable, especially when irritated by spicy, acidic, or rough-textured foods. Mouth ulcers typically heal within one to two weeks, but may recur frequently, especially during flare-ups.
Severe Complication Symptoms
Symptoms can become increasingly debilitating and may lead to serious complications that cause permanent damage. Without prompt medical attention, these complications can quickly escalate, posing life-threatening risks and requiring urgent medical intervention.
Abnormal Intestinal Passages
Fistulas are abnormal tunnel-like connections between your intestines and other organs, tissues, or the skin. They develop when ongoing inflammation or infection causes tissue damage and creates holes in your intestinal walls.
You might notice drainage or pus leaking from small openings near your anus, often accompanied by pain, tenderness, and swelling. The skin around these areas may become red and irritated; abscesses may develop, which can lead to infection.
Fistulas can create an abnormal passage from the intestines to the bladder, vagina, or other digestive organs, causing stool or gas to escape into unexpected places.
This can cause unusual vaginal discharge, frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs), or persistent irritation in affected areas, increasing the risk of complications.
Bowel Obstruction
When inflammation occurs in the intestines, it can thicken the walls and narrow the tract, leading to a partial or complete blockage that prevents the normal passage of food, fluids, and stool through the digestive tract.
One of the earliest signs you may experience, which can signal an issue with your digestive system, is severe cramping or sharp abdominal pain, particularly after eating.
Your belly might feel swollen, bloated, or hard to the touch, and you may experience a tight, stretched sensation that makes your abdominal skin sensitive to touch.
If the blockage worsens, you may feel nauseous and start vomiting, which could include recently eaten food or bile. You might have difficulty passing gas or having bowel movements, causing discomfort and pressure in your abdomen.
These symptoms often develop suddenly and can worsen rapidly. A complete obstruction requires immediate medical attention to prevent serious complications such as intestinal rupture or tissue death.
