Signs and Symptoms
It’s difficult to ignore even a mild case of Crohn’s disease. At first a sufferer might not have as many of the symptoms as are developed as time goes on, but patients may first be alerted that something is wrong when they begin to see traces of blood in the stool.
Abdominal pain and cramping may also occur, and while the patient may believe this to be a passing infection such as gastroenteritis, it could become apparent that something more serious is occurring when these sensations continue for several weeks or months. In fact, Crohns disease can go undiagnosed at first because of its similarity to so many other conditions and temporary gastrointestinal infections. Yeast infection symptoms, for example, are quite similar to those occurring in Crohns disease.
Patients may feel intermittently feverish, and they may begin to see abnormal fluctuations in weight, most often loss.
Bowel movements may become more frequent, and diarrhea can become common. The patient may feel nauseous some days or at certain times of the day, and may experience vomiting due to intestinal blockage, stomach ulceration, acid reflux, or general inflammation.
Other areas of the body may become inflamed, including the eyes, skin, and joints.
Among others, any of the following complications may arise over time as a result of the disease:
Malabsorption
Strictures
Obstructions
Fistulas
Fissures
Abscesses
Polyps
Ulcers
Colon Cancer
Comment from Tracee
Time: October 29, 2009, 5:27 pm
My main symptom, which I suffered with for years, was huge throat ulcers accompanied by fatigued. I was plagued by them and they could last up to 9 weeks at a time. Since I hadn’t had any abdominal pain (only as a child) they never suspected the Crohn’s or Celiacs. I have joint pain too, but the ulcers were the worst.