What are the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)?

Symptoms differ from person-to-person but diarrhea and blood in the stool are just a few examples. Learn more from Dr. Eugene Yen on behalf of NorthShore University HealthSystem about the symptoms of  inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

The most common symptoms are diarrhea and abdominal pain, usually on the left lower side of the abdomen. In more severe cases, the inflammation may cause stricturing (a narrowing of the intestines caused by excess scar tissue) and fistulas (inflammatory tunnels that burrow through the intestines to either the skin or the bladder).

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of chronic diseases of the colon and small intestine generally falling into the categories of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. The illnesses tend to be diagnosed in childhood or young adulthood and are characterized by periods of remission followed by flare-ups of symptoms that can include abdominal pain and cramping, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, vomiting and weight loss.

“On the outside, you wouldn’t know that someone has IBD,” says Daniel Hommes, MD, PhD, head of UCLA’s new Center for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. “But on the inside, it’s very destructive. A significant number of patients require frequent toilet visits and have problems with pain. Careers and relationships can be affected."