Colon diseases are any condition or disorder affecting the colon. The colon is the final stage of the digestive tract and ends at the rectum. Some more common colon diseases include:
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
IBS is a common, long-term condition of the digestive system. It can cause bouts of stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhoea and/or constipation.
The symptoms vary between individuals and affect some people more severely than others. They tend to come and go in periods lasting a few days to a few months at a time, often during times of stress or after eating certain foods.
The condition is often lifelong, although it may improve over several years.
Colon Cancer
Many of the symptoms of colon cancer can also be caused by something that isn’t cancer, such as infection, hemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome, or inflammatory bowel disease.
In most cases, people who have these symptoms do not have cancer. Still, if you have any of these problems, it is a sign that you should go to the doctor so the cause can be found and treated, if needed:
- A change in bowel habits, such as diarrhea, constipation, or narrowing of the stool, that lasts for more than a few days
- A feeling that you need to have a bowel movement that is not relieved by doing so
- Rectal bleeding
- Dark stools, or blood in the stool
- Cramping or abdominal (belly) pain
- Weakness and fatigue
- Unintended weight loss
When colon cancer does turn out to be the cause, symptoms often appear only after the cancer has grown or spread. That’s why it’s best to be tested for colon cancer before ever having any symptoms.
Ulcerative Colitis
You may have the following signs and symptoms, depending on which part of the colon is inflamed:
- Diarrhea, often with blood or pus
- Abdominal pain and cramping
- Rectal pain
- Rectal bleeding — passing small amount of blood with stool
- Urgency to defecate
- Inability to defecate despite urgency
- Weight loss
- Fatigue
- Fever
- In children, failure to grow
Most people with ulcerative colitis have mild to moderate symptoms. The course of ulcerative colitis may vary, with some people having long periods of remission.
The severity of the symptoms varies, depending on how much of the rectum and colon is inflamed and how severe the inflammation is. For some people, the condition has a significant impact on their everyday lives.
Crohn’s Disease
The symptoms of Crohn’s disease vary, depending on which part of the digestive system is inflamed. Common symptoms include:
- Recurring diarrhoea
- abdominal pain and cramping, which is usually worse after eating
- extreme tiredness (fatigue)
- unintended weight loss
- blood and mucus in your faeces (stools)
You may experience all or only one of the above. Some people experience severe symptoms, but others only have mild problems.
There may be long periods, lasting for weeks or months, where you have very mild or no symptoms (known as remission), followed by periods where the symptoms are particularly troublesome (known as flare-ups or relapses).
