Bowel inflammation symptoms can include diarrhea, abdominal pains, and nausea. In addition to these localized problems, patients may develop systemic issues like fever, chills, and dehydration in association with the inflammation. Treatment can include dietary changes as well as medications to minimize inflammation and protect the bowel lining. Long-term considerations can include an increased risk of tissue death in the bowel and cancer for patients with recurrent irritation.
Numerous conditions can cause some mild bowel inflammation, such as intestinal infections, and patients can also develop ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and other chronic disorders that affect the intestines. Early bowel inflammation symptoms usually start with loose stool and diarrhea. Patients may notice that their stool has a lot of mucus, indicating that the irritated bowel lining is producing more of it, and it can also be streaked with blood from ulcers caused by the inflammation.
Abdominal cramping and pains can occur, along with nausea and vomiting. Some patients develop appetite loss as part of their bowel inflammation symptoms and may start to lose weight because they aren’t eating enough. They can also become very sensitive to spicy foods, which can irritate the already tender tissue and cause cramping, loss of bowel control, and pain. These symptoms persist over several days, indicating that they are not a bad reaction to food or a case of passing stomach upset.
Fever and chills may develop in very ill patients, and people can also become dehydrated if they have diarrhea and are not drinking enough water. These bowel inflammation symptoms can indicate that the patient is at risk of complications and needs medical treatment. Severe inflammation in the intestinal tract can lead to conditions like peritonitis or necrosis, where part of the bowel dies because it is not getting enough oxygen and nutrients.
Patients with bowel inflammation symptoms and no prior history of problems may be given some anti inflammatory medications and a bowel protectant, a medication that coats the intestinal lining to address ulcers. If the patient has recurrent bowel problems, a medical provider may recommend endoscopy and biopsy to learn more about what is going on. Chronic bowel inflammation may necessitate the use of a variety of medications to control the inflammation and could require surgery in the future to address badly damaged lengths of bowel. Such patients may also need more aggressive cancer screening to identify malignant cells as early as possible, because of their increased risk of colorectal cancer.
