Most people have flare-ups of the disease that cause symptoms followed by periods of remission when patients may have no symptoms. A detailed family history combined with a colonoscopy and biopsy of affected tissue in the colon will confirm a Crohn's diagnosis.
If you're experiencing diarrhoea, blood in your poo, unexplained weight loss or extreme pain or tiredness, then there's a chance you might have Crohn's or Colitis. These conditions are types of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), which cause inflammation and ulcers in the gut.
Most commonly, Crohn's affects your small intestine and the beginning of your large intestine. However, the disease can affect any part of your digestive tract, from your mouth to your anus. Learn more about your digestive system and how it works. Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Crohn's disease is a long-term condition that causes inflammation of the lining of the digestive system. Inflammation can affect any part of the digestive system, from the mouth to the back passage. But it mostly occurs in the last section of the small intestine (ileum) or the large intestine (colon).
It may go undiagnosed for years, because symptoms usually develop gradually and it doesn't always affect the same part of the intestine. Other diseases can have the same symptoms as Crohn's disease. But doctors can diagnose Crohn's by doing a test that looks at the inside of the intestine and doing a biopsy.
Mild Crohn's disease causes inflammation through the digestive system. At this stage of the disease, symptoms remain less severe and are more easily managed. Symptoms of mild Crohn's disease include abdominal pain, diarrhea, gas, and bloating.
DB Silent disease is disease that does not have the overt symptoms that make a patient feel poorly. This is a fairly well-established concept in medicine. Perhaps the best example of a correlate to silent Crohn's disease is silent ischemia in the context of heart disease.
The CalproSmart self-test is a rapid test for distant monitoring of patients with established chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease. Being a pro-active test, the patient will perform the Calprotectin test at home with regular intervals or at their own discretion.
Referral to a specialist
If they think you could have Crohn's disease, a GP may refer you to a doctor called a gastroenterologist for tests to confirm the diagnosis.
For people with Crohn's or Colitis, fatigue can be: Physical (low energy or strength, a feeling of heaviness). Mental (low motivation, concentration, or alertness). A feeling of 'brain fog'.
A Crohn's flare usually involves diarrhea, often with mucus and sometimes with blood. Many people also have low-grade fevers. Other symptoms, which range from mild to severe, may include: Abdominal pain or cramps.
Intestinal endoscopy. Intestinal endoscopies are the most accurate methods for diagnosing Crohn's disease and ruling out other possible conditions, such as ulcerative colitis, diverticular disease, or cancer. Intestinal endoscopies include the following: Colonoscopy.
As the partner of someone who has a long-term condition like Crohn's, you'll see their ups and downs with the disease. You want to be there for them, but also respect their decisions about how they handle it. The physical symptoms they may get include bouts of cramping, mouth sores, fatigue, fever, and diarrhea.
The condition usually doesn't get better on its own or go into remission without treatment. In fact, it will probably get worse and lead to serious complications. To get you to remission, your doctor will try: Medications.
Crohn's symptoms can range from mild to severe, and that can change depending on the person and what part of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is affected. Crohn's is also progressive–meaning that over time, your symptoms can get worse.
It is important to treat the underlying disease, that is treat the gut inflammation, in cases of active Crohn's or active colitis. During an IBD flare, the lining of the intestine becomes inflamed and cannot absorb all fluid. This results in stools being loose and watery, or even entirely liquid.
Crohn's disease progresses in stages with intermittent remissions that can last up to a few months. Attacks of varying intensity occur one after the other unpredictably. Symptoms can sometimes be so severe (inability to eat, hemorrhages, diarrhea, etc) that hospitalization is necessary.
Weight gain
But Crohn's disease doesn't always cause weight loss. Sometimes, it causes the scale to go up. One study found that 40 percent of people with Crohn's had a body mass index in the overweight or obese range.
A person with Crohn's disease may notice a yellow coating on their stools. This coating is mucus, which helps the stools pass through the intestines, and it is no cause for concern if there are no other new symptoms.
At present, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis cannot be diagnosed through simple blood tests. However, blood tests are still very important as they may be supportive of the diagnosis and can also be used to monitor the activity of your disease.