Crohn's Disease is a type of disorder classified as an IBD, or inflammatory bowel disease, because it inflames the digestive tract's lining. It can cause pain in the abdomen, severe diarrhea and stop your body from getting enough nutrients. The disease has no cure, but some types of therapy and medications may be used to treat it. These may include anti-inflammatory medicines such as sulfasalazine, mesalamine and corticosteroids, or immune system suppressors such as azathioprine, adalimumab, certolizumab pegol, methotrexate and infliximab, or antibiotics such as metronidazole or ciprofloxacin.
Appetite
One of the symptoms of Crohn's Disease that may not be obvious is a decrease in appetite and its attending loss of weight. If you have pain or cramps in the abdomen frequently, it may be causing you to eat less. The disease also may cause you to have a reduced amount of digestion and nutrient absorption, which can contribute to weight loss.
Diarrhea
Because Crohn's Disease forces abnormal secretion of salt and water into the intestines, it may produce diarrhea. According to the Mayo Clinic, diarrhea is the most frequently experienced symptom of the disease. The large intestines can't absorb the excess water, so it expels it through the loosening of stools. Diarrhea itself can cause dehydration in your body. This should be rectified with consumption of fluids, but that too may cause the diarrhea to continue. The problems caused by Crohn's also may cause you to have blood in your feces because material that moves through the intestines may cause irritation to inflamed tissues that then bleed.
Ulcers
Tiny sores in the intestinal walls may develop from Crohn's Disease that can turn into large sores or ulcers. The same thing can happen in your mouth. These will appear as canker sores. The intestinal ulcers can penetrate the walls of the intestines. They may contribute to the pain or cramps you feel in your abdomen.
Cramps and Pain
Crohn's Disease also may cause you to feel mild to severe pain from cramping in the intestines. Ulcers in the intestines and inflamed areas make it difficult for food to move more slowly through the tract. This occurs because of scarring and swelling that can decrease the area in the intestines through which material passes. When the disease progresses, this may get worse and you may experience vomiting and nausea.
Other Symptoms
Serious symptoms such as a fever that lasts more than one or two days that is not connected to a cold or flu, frequent bouts of diarrhea, stools that contain blood and pain in the abdomen should send you to your doctor. Other symptoms that may occur when Crohn's has become severe include growth or sexual development delays in children, fever, bile duct or liver inflammation, fatigue, skin conditions, arthritis and inflammation in the eyes.
