Crohn's Disease Symptoms: Finding This In Your Poop Could Be An Early Warning Sign

As of 2015, more than 780,000 Americans have been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, according to Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. The inflammation in the digestive tract can lead to serious health complications including holes in the intestines, bleeding, abscesses and fistulas. It is important to notice early warning signs in order to get treated at the earliest and prevent unwanted consequences.

An early warning sign of Crohn’s disease to watch out for: Bloody stools

When the disease occurs in the colon or rectum instead of the small intestines, it causes blood to appear in or on the stool. Also, Crohn’s disease patients experience fissures that can be treated successfully without surgery.

When you find blood in your stool or if you experience diarrhea which lasts for a week or longer, unexplained weight loss or frequent stomach pain, discomfort or cramping, consult your doctor at the earliest.

Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation of the digestive tract that can cause symptoms including severe diarrhea, abdominal pain, malnutrition, and weight loss. Other symptoms of Crohn’s disease include loss of appetite, fever, nausea, eye pain, redness in the eyes, tiredness, aching or painful joints, and tender red bumps on the skin.

Crohn’s disease patients often find that their symptoms worsen with stress or after consuming certain foods. The disease is of five types namely ileocolitis, ileitis, Crohn's colitis, gastroduodenal Crohn's disease, and jejunoileitis.

It could lead to complications involving different body parts including inflammation in the eyes, joints, skin, and liver. Other health complications of this condition include fistulas, ulcers, abscesses, anemia, joint problems, blockage of the digestive tract and a tear in the bowel.

In some cases of Crohn's disease, it occurs alongside other disorders. Therefore, doctors use a combination of laboratory tests and physical examinations to diagnose a person. They might also order tests including CT or MRI scan of the abdomen, routine blood tests, colonoscopy, stool tests, and sigmoidoscopy.

The early symptoms of Crohn's disease are sometimes mistaken for other conditions including allergies, a stomach infection, food poisoning or intestinal tuberculosis.

Certain medications and lifestyle modifications can help relieve the symptoms and manage the disease effectively.