Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsWhen to See a DoctorTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
When to See a Doctor
Treatment
Crohn’s disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract.It is a chronic condition that fluctuates between periods of remission and active symptoms, referred to as a flare.
Severe symptoms, such as chronic diarrhea, fever, and severe pain may warrant emergency care. In addition, if you experience serious complications or adverse medication side effects you are unable to manage, seek urgent medical care.
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Symptoms of a Crohn’s Flare
The severity of Crohn’s disease varies from mild to severe in different people. People do not always have symptoms of Crohn’s disease when it is in remission. However, some symptoms can be chronic but suddenly worsen, causing a flare.
Crohn’s is an unpredictable disease that requires lifelong management. Over the course of an individual’s disease, they may experience manyflare-ups.
The more commonsigns and symptomsof a flare arediarrheaand abdominal pain with cramping.Other symptoms include:
The severity and duration of a flare depend on the individual. Symptoms can last anywhere from a few days to months.
A Crohn’s flare is a change in symptoms from your baseline disease. It can be very uncomfortable. Along with abdominal pain and diarrhea, you might also feel tired, nauseous, achy, depressed, and overwhelmed. Crohn’s disease can be both physically and emotionally demanding, and you might find it helpful to maintain a support network outside of your healthcare provider.
Over time,symptoms can changeand get worse, especiallywithout maintenance medication. To understand your disease and its progression, it’s important to track and discuss your symptoms with your healthcare provider regularly.
Several factors may trigger a flare and increase the severity of symptoms, including:
Symptoms of a Crohn’s flare can be highly variable and depend on the severity of the illness. Always discuss any new or worsening symptoms with your healthcare provider.
If you know your disease and body well and only have mild symptoms like diarrhea and bloating without fever, you may be able to manage your symptoms at home.
However, it’s best to seek urgent care if you have any of the following symptoms:
Complications
You should visit your healthcare provider or go to the hospital if you experience any signs and symptoms of complications associated with Crohn’s disease.
The most common complications include:
Crohn’s disease can also cause issues and complications outside the gastrointestinal tract, including joint arthritis, eye inflammation (uveitis), gallbladder issues, kidney stones, and certaintypes of rashes.
Discuss any new symptoms or concerns with your healthcare provider.
How to Treat a Crohn’s Flare
When you are experiencing a flare, your healthcare provider may want to pursue further testing or change your treatment regimen. You might also work together to determine a flare trigger to reverse the symptoms.
If the flare is mild and your healthcare provider doesn’t see a need to run diagnostic tests or change your medication, they might recommend using over-the-counter and home remedies to improve your discomfort. These may include:
Sometimes your healthcare provider will change your medication to treat a Crohn’s flare. The medication primarily used to treat a mild to moderate Crohn’s flare is acorticosteroid(an anti-inflammatory drug) like prednisone.Corticosteroids should not be used for maintenance therapy since they have significant long-term side effects.
Additional medications used to manage a Crohn’s flare depend on the severity of the change from your baseline disease, your current treatment regimen, and whether you have developed resistance to your treatment.
Your healthcare provider’s goal is to control intestinal inflammation, which will influence your symptoms, and prevent Crohn’s disease complications.
Other medications may include:
Summary
Crohn’s disease is a chronic illness that causes inflammation throughout the digestive tract. It is associated with common symptoms, like abdominal pain with cramps and diarrhea, but can lead to more severe symptoms during a flare-up. There are ways to manage Crohn’s disease symptoms at home, but severe symptoms or complications may require a visit to your healthcare provider or the emergency room. Always notify your healthcare provider about new or worsening symptoms.
12 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Garber J.Living with Crohn’s disease: recognizing and managing flares. Harvard Health Publishing.Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.Managing flares and IBD symptoms.Crohn’s and Colitis.Dealing with Crohn’s flare-ups.Crohn’s and Colitis UK.Flare-ups with Crohn’s or Colitis.Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.Managing flares and IBD symptoms.Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.Managing flares and IBD symptoms.American College of Gastroenterology.Inflammatory bowel disease: basics.Kim ER.Colorectal cancer in inflammatory bowel disease: the risk, pathogenesis, prevention and diagnosis.World J Gastroenterol. 20(29):9872. doi:10.3748/wjg.v20.i29.9872Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.Managing flares and IBD symptoms.Lichtenstein GR, Loftus EV, Isaacs KL, Regueiro MD, Gerson LB, Sands BE.ACG clinical guideline: management of Crohn’s disease in adults.Am J Gastroenterol. 113(4):481-517. doi:10.1038/ajg.2018.27Lichtenstein GR, Loftus EV, Isaacs KL, Regueiro MD, Gerson LB, Sands BE.ACG clinical guideline: management of Crohn’s disease in adults.Am J Gastroenterol. 113(4):481-517. doi:10.1038/ajg.2018.27Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.Biologics.
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Garber J.Living with Crohn’s disease: recognizing and managing flares. Harvard Health Publishing.Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.Managing flares and IBD symptoms.Crohn’s and Colitis.Dealing with Crohn’s flare-ups.Crohn’s and Colitis UK.Flare-ups with Crohn’s or Colitis.Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.Managing flares and IBD symptoms.Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.Managing flares and IBD symptoms.American College of Gastroenterology.Inflammatory bowel disease: basics.Kim ER.Colorectal cancer in inflammatory bowel disease: the risk, pathogenesis, prevention and diagnosis.World J Gastroenterol. 20(29):9872. doi:10.3748/wjg.v20.i29.9872Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.Managing flares and IBD symptoms.Lichtenstein GR, Loftus EV, Isaacs KL, Regueiro MD, Gerson LB, Sands BE.ACG clinical guideline: management of Crohn’s disease in adults.Am J Gastroenterol. 113(4):481-517. doi:10.1038/ajg.2018.27Lichtenstein GR, Loftus EV, Isaacs KL, Regueiro MD, Gerson LB, Sands BE.ACG clinical guideline: management of Crohn’s disease in adults.Am J Gastroenterol. 113(4):481-517. doi:10.1038/ajg.2018.27Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.Biologics.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Garber J.Living with Crohn’s disease: recognizing and managing flares. Harvard Health Publishing.Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.Managing flares and IBD symptoms.Crohn’s and Colitis.Dealing with Crohn’s flare-ups.Crohn’s and Colitis UK.Flare-ups with Crohn’s or Colitis.Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.Managing flares and IBD symptoms.Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.Managing flares and IBD symptoms.American College of Gastroenterology.Inflammatory bowel disease: basics.Kim ER.Colorectal cancer in inflammatory bowel disease: the risk, pathogenesis, prevention and diagnosis.World J Gastroenterol. 20(29):9872. doi:10.3748/wjg.v20.i29.9872Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.Managing flares and IBD symptoms.Lichtenstein GR, Loftus EV, Isaacs KL, Regueiro MD, Gerson LB, Sands BE.ACG clinical guideline: management of Crohn’s disease in adults.Am J Gastroenterol. 113(4):481-517. doi:10.1038/ajg.2018.27Lichtenstein GR, Loftus EV, Isaacs KL, Regueiro MD, Gerson LB, Sands BE.ACG clinical guideline: management of Crohn’s disease in adults.Am J Gastroenterol. 113(4):481-517. doi:10.1038/ajg.2018.27Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.Biologics.
Garber J.Living with Crohn’s disease: recognizing and managing flares. Harvard Health Publishing.
Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.Managing flares and IBD symptoms.
Crohn’s and Colitis.Dealing with Crohn’s flare-ups.
Crohn’s and Colitis UK.Flare-ups with Crohn’s or Colitis.
Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.Managing flares and IBD symptoms.
American College of Gastroenterology.Inflammatory bowel disease: basics.
Kim ER.Colorectal cancer in inflammatory bowel disease: the risk, pathogenesis, prevention and diagnosis.World J Gastroenterol. 20(29):9872. doi:10.3748/wjg.v20.i29.9872
Lichtenstein GR, Loftus EV, Isaacs KL, Regueiro MD, Gerson LB, Sands BE.ACG clinical guideline: management of Crohn’s disease in adults.Am J Gastroenterol. 113(4):481-517. doi:10.1038/ajg.2018.27
Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.Biologics.
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