Kidney stones
Loss of appetite
Pain in the joints
Rectal bleeding and bloody stools
Skin rash
Swollen gums
Undesired weight lossDiagnosisBased on a careful history of symptoms, the exam-
ining physician will be able to distinguish between
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. But diagnosis
can be troublesome because other diseases have IBS-
like symptoms. For example, Crohn’s disease is com-
monly misdiagnosed asceliac disease, or diverticuli-
tis. This is because it can affect various regions of theKEY TERMS
Abdomen—Part of the body that extends from the
chest to the groin.
Anal fissures—Splits or cracks in the lining of the
anus resulting from the passage of very hard or
watery stools.
Autoimmune disorder—Autoimmune disorders are
conditions in which a person’s immune system
attacks the body’s own cells, causing tissue
destruction.
Cecum—The pouch-like start of the large intestine
that links it to the small intestine.
Colon—Part of the large intestine, located in the
abdominal cavity. It consists of the ascending
colon, the transverse colon, the descending colon,
and the sigmoid colon.
Diverticulitis—Inflammation of the small pouches
(diverticula) that can form in the weakened muscular
wall of the large intestine.
Duodenum—The first section of the small intestine,
extending from the stomach to the jejunum, the next
section of the small intestine.
Fistula—Abnormal, usually ulcerous duct between
two internal organs or between an internal organ
and the skin. When open at only one end it is called
an incomplete fistula or sinus. The most common
sites of fistula are the rectum and the urinary organs.
Gastrointestinal tract (GI tract)—The tube connect-
ing and including the organs and paths responsible
for processing food in the body. These are the mouth,
the esophagus, the stomach, the liver, the gallblad-
der, the pancreas, the small intestine, the large intes-
tine, and the rectum.
Ileum—The last section of the small intestine located
between the jejunum andthe large intestine.
Jejunum—The section of the small intestine located
between the duodenum and the ileum.Immune system—The integrated body system of
organs, tissues, cells, and cell products such as anti-
bodies that protects the body from foreign organisms
or substances.
Large intestine—The terminal part of the digestive
system, site of water recycling, nutrient absorption,
and waste processing located in the abdominal cav-
ity. It consists of the caecum, the colon, and the
rectum.
Mucosa—Lining of the digestive tract. In the mouth,
stomach, and small intestine, the mucosa contains
glands that produce juices to digest food.
Pancreas—The pancreas is a flat, glandular organ
lying below the stomach. It secretes the hor-
mones insulin and glucagon that control blood
sugar levels and also secretes pancreatic enzymes
in the small intestine for the breakdown of fats
and proteins.
Perianal abscess—Abscess that can occur when the
tiny anal glands that open on the inside of the anus
become blocked and infected by bacteria. When pus
develops, an abscess forms.
Prebiotics—Substances that help manage bacteria.
Two principal types commonly used are the manna-
noligosaccharides (MOS) that bind potentially harm-
ful bacteria in the gut and allow beneficial bacteria
to dominate, and fructanoligosaccharides (FOS) that
deliver fructans into the fore gut to ’feed’ the acid
producing bacteria.
Probiotics—Probiotics are dietary supplements con-
taining potentially beneficial bacteria or yeast.
Rectum—Short, muscular tube that forms the lowest
portion of the large intestine and connects it to the
anus.
Ulceration—Formation of ulcers on a mucous mem-
brane accompanied by pus and necrosis of surround-
ing tissue.Inflammatory bowel disease