Symptoms of Crohn's Disease
Common symptoms of Crohn's disease include abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and weight loss. Less common symptoms include poor appetite, fever, night sweats, rectal pain, and occasionally rectal bleeding. The symptoms of Crohn's disease are dependent on the location, the extent, and the severity of the inflammation.
Up to one-third of patients with Crohn's disease may have one or more of the following conditions involving the anal area:
Up to one-third of patients with Crohn's disease may have one or more of the following conditions involving the anal area:
- Swelling of the tissue of the anal sphincter, the muscle at the end of the colon that controls defecation.
- Development of ulcers and fissures (long ulcers) within the anal sphincter. These ulcers and fissures can cause bleeding and pain with defecation.
- Development of anal fistulae (abnormal tunnels) between the anus or rectum and the skin surrounding the anus). Mucous and pus may drain from the openings of the fistulae on the skin.
- Development of peri-rectal abscesses (collections of pus in the anal and rectal area). Peri-rectal abscesses can cause fever, pain and tenderness around the anus.