Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis are the two main forms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, affecting more than 300,000 people in the UK.

Yet it is largely a hidden disease, and one that causes stigma, fear and isolation, it’s thought that many people with the condition go undiagnosed and suffer in silence. It doesn’t have to be like this.

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The main symptoms of IBD:

• Diarrhoea. This is sometimes mixed with blood, mucus and pus.

• Cramping pains in the abdomen. These can be very severe and often occur before passing a stool.

• Tiredness and fatigue. This can be due to the illness itself, from anaemia (see below) from the side effects of some of the drugs used      for IBD or from a lack of sleep if you have to keep getting up at night with pain or diarrhoea.

• Feeling generally unwell. Some people may feel feverish.

• Loss of appetite and loss of weight. Weight loss can be due to the body not absorbing nutrients from the food you eat because of the inflammation in the gut.

• Anaemia (a reduced number of red blood cells). You are more likely to develop anaemia if you are losing a lot of blood and are not eating much.

• Mouth ulcers.

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Possible complications: 

• Strictures.  This is when there is ongoing inflammation and then healing in the bowel which may cause scar tissue to form.  This can create a narrow section of the bowel, called a stricture.

• Fistulas. A fistula is an abnormal channel or passageway connecting one internal organ to another, or to the outside surface of the body.  These are more common in people with Crohn’s Disease.

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IBD can sometimes affect other parts of the body, including:

•  Joints. Inflammation of the joints, often known as arthritis, means that fluid collects in the joint space causing painful swelling.  It usually affects the large joints of the arms and legs, including the elbows, wrists, knees and ankles.  

• Eye inflammation. The most common eye condition affecting people with IBD is episcleritis, which affects the layer of tissue covering the sclera, the white outer coating of the eye, making it red, sore and inflamed.

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All information from ccuk.