Inflammatory Bowel Disease - Signs and Symptoms

Signs and Symptoms

Symptoms in Crohn's disease vs. ulcerative colitis (v · d · e)
Crohn's disease Ulcerative colitis
Defecation Often porridge-like,
sometimes steatorrhea		 Often mucus-like
and with blood
Tenesmus Less common More common
Fever Common Indicates severe disease
Fistulae Common Seldom
Weight loss Often More seldom

Although very different diseases, both may present with any of the following symptoms: abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, severe internal cramps/muscle spasms in the region of the pelvis, weight loss and various associated complaints or diseases like arthritis, pyoderma gangrenosum, and primary sclerosing cholangitis. Diagnosis is generally by assessment of inflammatory markers in stool followed by colonoscopy with biopsy of pathological lesions.

Findings in diagnostic workup in Crohn's disease vs. ulcerative colitis
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Sign Crohn's disease Ulcerative colitis
Terminal ileum involvement Commonly Seldom
Colon involvement Usually Always
Rectum involvement Seldom Usually
Involvement around
the anus		 Common Seldom
Bile duct involvement No increase in rate of primary sclerosing cholangitis Higher rate
Distribution of Disease Patchy areas of inflammation (Skip lesions) Continuous area of inflammation
Endoscopy Deep geographic and serpiginous (snake-like) ulcers Continuous ulcer
Depth of inflammation May be transmural, deep into tissues Shallow, mucosal
Stenosis Common Seldom
Granulomas on biopsy May have non-necrotizing non-peri-intestinal crypt granulomas Non-peri-intestinal crypt granulomas not seen


Read more about this topic:  Inflammatory Bowel Disease

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