Crohn’s disease is often missed for months or years because the early symptoms look like everyday tummy trouble. It’s a lifelong condition, but modern treatments mean most people can control it and live full, active lives. Knowing the warning signs helps people get diagnosed sooner.
Imagine being 22, losing weight without trying, running to the toilet five times a day with tummy cramps, and feeling exhausted all the time. Friends say it’s stress. A doctor once said it might be irritable bowel syndrome. Then a simple stool test shows high inflammation, and a camera test finally gives the answer: Crohn’s disease. It’s not the news you wanted, but at last there’s a plan.
What is Crohn’s disease?
Crohn’s disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The immune system causes inflammation that can affect any part of the gut from mouth to anus, most often the end of the small intestine and the start of the large bowel. It tends to come in flare-ups and quieter periods. It often starts in teenagers and young adults, but can begin at any age.
Symptoms to watch for
- Diarrhoea lasting more than a few weeks, sometimes with blood or mucus
- Tummy pain and cramping, often in the lower right side
- Unexplained weight loss and tiredness
- Mouth ulcers, and painful sores or fistulas around the anus
- Fever, joint pain, sore red eyes or skin rashes
- In children, slow growth or delayed puberty
How it’s diagnosed
- Blood tests for inflammation, anaemia and nutrition
- A stool test (faecal calprotectin) to detect gut inflammation and help tell IBD from IBS
- Colonoscopy with biopsies, and sometimes a capsule camera
- Scans such as MRI to look at the small bowel
Treatment options
- Steroids for short-term control of flares
- Immunosuppressants and biologic medicines to keep the disease quiet over the long term
- Liquid diet therapy (exclusive enteral nutrition), especially for children
- Surgery for complications such as narrowing or fistulas
Stopping smoking is one of the most important things you can do. Smoking makes Crohn’s worse and increases the chance of needing surgery. IBD specialist nurses play a big role in ongoing care, advice during flares and medicine monitoring.
But isn’t it just IBS?
IBS and Crohn’s can share symptoms, but IBS doesn’t cause inflammation, bleeding, weight loss or damage to the bowel. Blood in your poo, weight loss, waking at night with diarrhoea, anaemia or a family history of IBD should never just be labelled IBS without tests. Ask your doctor about a calprotectin test.
Your next step: If you’ve had gut symptoms for more than four to six weeks, write down how often you go, any blood, weight change and night-time symptoms. Book an appointment and ask whether a stool inflammation test is right for you.
Sources: NHS (Crohn’s disease), NICE guideline on Crohn’s disease, US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. This guide is for general information and does not replace advice from your own nurse, doctor or pharmacist.
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