Other symptoms of Crohn’s disease
Symptoms may occur that have nothing to do with the digestive tract. Both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis can cause problems in other parts of the body. They are:
Arthritis: in this casez thoints (usually the knees and ankles) can swell, become painful, and stiff. Arthritis affects about 30% of people with Crohn’s disease and 5% of people with ulcerative colitis. Medications can help, but problems usually go away when intestinal inflammation is controlled
Canker sores: these resemble ulcerative wounds. They develop normally during periods of active inflammation of the intestine. Wounds usually disappear when the inflammation is treated.
Fever: it is an indicator of inflammation, so it is common to have a fever during the onset of symptoms. However, fever can be present for weeks or even months before the symptoms of Crohn’s disease appear. When intestinal inflammation is treated, the fever usually subsides.
Eye symptoms: the eyes can become inflamed [6] – red, bruised, and sensitive to light. These symptoms usually appear before the disease gets worse, and disappear when the intestinal symptoms are treated. In the worst case scenario, vision may be impaired with the development of one or more of the following – conjunctivitis, keratitis, or uveitis
Skin symptoms: people can develop rashes [7] or painful and reddish fungal diseases on the legs. Erythema nodosum, angiitis, and other skin diseases are not excluded. Treatment of intestinal symptoms, in general, improves skin symptoms
In addition to the above symptoms, dysfunction of the liver, kidneys, and biliary tract may occur. Aphthous stomatitis in the mouth may occur. Great weight loss [8] often occurs. Osteoporosis can develop due to impaired absorption of nutrients necessary for the body.
For the doctor to arrive at the correct diagnosis, the patient must inform him about all symptoms, complaints, and behavioral changes, such as the frequent mistake of avoiding meals to avoid going to the bathroom.