WARNING: The Embarrassing Bodies website contains images of an explicit medical nature and nudity in a medical context.

Conditions

Crohn’s Disease

MRI scan showing Crohn's disease

Crohn’s disease is an internal condition that can affect a sufferer externally. It occurs when the wall of the affected part of the gut becomes inflamed and the inflammation causes one or more of the following symptoms: pain, ulcers, diarrhoea, anaemia, anal fissures and rectal bleeding, loss of weight, loss of appetite, and feeling lethargic. Symptoms vary depending on the part of the gut affected and there are many options for treating this chronic, episodic, inflammatory bowel disease, although there is no known drug-based or surgical cure for it. The exact cause of Crohn’s Disease is not known, but it’s thought there may be a genetic link, as there’s some evidence that it runs in families (1 in 10 people with the condition have a close relative who also has it). Crohn’s Disease is more common in smokers and in women who use the combined oral contraceptive pill..

What the Men in White Coats Say

Comments and Questions

The EB doctors have been looking at your comments and have answered some of the common questions below. Remember that it is always best to check with a health professional if you have any concerns about your health.

You can share your experiences and thoughts with other Embarrassing Bodies site-users below. Comments & Questions are reviewed by moderators, but if you see anything on the site that worries you, please report it and one of our moderators will look at it as soon as possible.
Please note: Unfortunately Channel 4 cannot respond to individual inquiries. If you have any concerns, you can check out NHS Choices, but ultimately it is always best to check with a health professional.

hi my name is karen i am 42yrs old i cant really go any where as i keep on messing my self the doctor said i had ibs that was about 2yrs ago its getting worse i have to go to the hospital and see some one i am worried it could be cancer can some one tell me if they have or been going through it it is getting me down and i feel tired all the time can some one please help me thank you x





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

I recently had a colonoscopy which was clear but the result of my biopsy was that I had inflammation. Granulomatous was discussed and also something in my cells that suggested that I had crohn's. The doctor stated that he wasn't a hundred percent certain that I have it. Do you think it's likely that I do have it or what are the other possibilities?





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

My son is 15 and at 6 was diagnosed with crohn's disease.He had diarrhoea for a fews months before he had a large bleed, and was in hospital for 2 weeks, and 2 month later diagnosed. Now my daughter aged 14 months has had diarrhoea for 5 months now,very smelly,mucus,and pale have to change her nappy about 10 times a day.Always rubbing her tummy, crys all the time.Been told she got baby diarrhoea,could it be something else?





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

my cheeks go really red sometimes, espicially when i get hot or exercise. How can i reduce the redness i am 16 and male





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your answer.


Please don't swear or be rude in your answers, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting answers. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

Questions submitted to the site will be answered by other site users, not by medical professionals, so if you have a medical concern, please book an appointment with your GP.

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

im 27and at 19 was told i had ibs, i lived with the symptoms untillast year. i went in to give birth. 22nd may, fri eve. came home sat with bad tummy pains. by sun i was in ambulance in agony. they thought ihad clots on my womb, which surgery proved i didnt. so i had bowel scans whichshowed major imflammation. by the fri, nearly a week later the imflammation lvels were down enough for me to come home. the was after a week of vomiting and only able to suck ice. no food. next day, 1st thing i had, agony backin an ambulance and within 24 hours i was rushed into emergency surgery with a perforated bowel and peritonitis. i awoke 2 days later on criticl care doning a shinny stoma ( part of bowel bought though abdominal wall out of tummy)they had removed part of my bowel and i now have an ileostomy that is being reversed soon. anyway biopsy results showed that i have crohn's.





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

Just looked at the piece where it refers to GP's initial assessment for Crohn's-didn't get any of that-he said my son had heartburn and gave him 6 packs of gaviscon!! Even when we went back concerned about his height/weight I was told "Well you are not exactly that tall yourself, are you" (Im 5'9) Son (16) 5' 5" weighing 93lb! After a few more months GP eventually did blood tests and from there got a referral to Gastroenterologist-from that point onwards son's condition has improved but it makes my blood boil that he wasn't referred earlier





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

Just looked at the piece where it refers to GP's initial assessment for Crohn's-didn't get any of that-he said my son had heartburn and gave him 6 packs of gaviscon!! Even when we went back concerned about his height/weight I was told "Well you are not exactly that tall yourself, are you" (Im 5'9) Son (16) 5' 5" weighing 93lb! After a few more months GP eventually did blood tests and from there got a referral to Gastroenterologist-from that point onwards son's condition has improved but it makes my blood boil that he wasn't referred earlier





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

Hi, I'm Heather, i was diagnosed with crohn's when i was 19, i'm now 42. I've read alot of similar stories to my own and know what you are going through. You have to try and live life the best you can, on the bearable days that is. I had the 'big op' 8 years ago, all of my large bowel, my back passage and quite a bit of my small bowel was removed and now have an ileostomy, took a couple of years to get my self confidence back but now there's nothing i won't try. Its like finaly being able to LIVE ! Sure there are awkward moments, not like you can house-train it lol. But its far better than the alternative. Good luck to all that have Crohn's, it's not the end.





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

Hey, i am 16 and was diagnosed with crohns on my 7th birthday. I have both intestinal and oral crohns (very rare for a young kid i was told). This kinda sucks but steriods were amazing for me, though they make you very bloated.I don't like the Enlive drinks so I learnt to control my diet. Anyones children who are just being diagnosed honestly when you learn to control it its fine, it takes time, but is soooo much better! My GCSE's are coming up and i am worried i may have a flare-up though, has anyone been through the same thing and has any advice?





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

Hello Kathryn Just wishing you Good Luck for your exams I am sure you will be ok. My 16 year old son finally diagnosed with Crohns November last year(post GCSEs) He had had it for at least 3 years prior undiagnosed so come exam time he was unmedicated and doubled up in pain, anaemic, tired, severly underweight etc and yet despite this he achieved good grades(As & A*s and two Bs)

Hi Kathryn - I was diagnosed a month before second year university exams. My university were amazing about it, arranging for me to take exams in the department in a separate room, and allowed me breaks. Hope you did well in your exams =]

I have had Crohn's disease for nearly 8 years now and have only had 3 months when I was well. This was after having the majority of my large bowel removed. The Crohn's came back again around the join and I now have a permanent stoma. Most people thought it was a big decision for me but the truth was that it wasn't. I am now well for the first time in 8 years, I can eat and I now no longer look like a skeleton wearing clothes. I am only in my 20s and I sometimes get freaked out that I am going to have this bag for the rest of my life but the alternative is much worse. My advice to anyone who has been told they will have to have a stoma is - don't be embarrased by it, be proud of it remember it has probably saved your life. Tell who you feel comfortable telling and if someone treats you differently because of it then remove them from your life. I am single and I am concerned about what will happen should I meet someone - when should I tell them etc. But I will cross that bridge when I come to it.





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.



Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

It looks like no one else has asked this question, so please fill in the rest of your details below.





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your answer.



Please don't swear or be rude in your questions, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting questions. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

Questions submitted to the site will be answered by other site users, not by medical professionals, so if you have a medical concern, please book an appointment with your GP.

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines


Important Notice

The information provided on this website (including any NHS Choices medical information) is for use as information or for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical care by a qualified doctor or other qualified healthcare professional. We do not warrant that any information included within this site will meet your health or medical requirements. This Embarrassing Bodies site does not provide any medical or diagnostic services so you should always check with a health professional if you have any concerns about your health.


If you want to embed our videos in your site, read our embedding T&Cs here


More Information

  1. Doctor Responses: IBS

    In Videos - Dr Christian answers your most frequently asked questions about Irr…

  2. Episode 5

    In Episodes - Episode 5 featured conditions as diverse as Gynaecomastia (that's m…

  3. Episode 5 - Holiday

    In Episodes - This week's episode includes a visit to the airport where the Docto…

  4. Consultation: Peyronie's Disease

    In Videos - Dr Jessen examines a patient with peyronie's disease

  5. Body Check: Tongue

    In Videos - Dr Christian talks about tongue abnormalities and how to check for…

  6. Episode 3 - Brighton

    In Episodes - The doctors head to Brighton with their truck-stop clinic, whilst t…

  7. Consultation: Second Adult Circumcision

    In Videos - Dr Jessen examines a patient in need of a new circumcision

  8. Dr James Russell

    Doctor Info - Find out more about Dr James Russell.

  9. Dr Priya Manickavasagar

    Doctor Info - Find out more about Dr Priya.

  10. Episode 8

    In Episodes - The final episode of the series included a patient with the embaras…

  11. Body Check: Stools

    In Videos - Dr Christian describes what different shapes and colours of poo can…

  12. Consultation: Soreness on the Penis

    In Videos - A patient is examined for soreness around his penis

  13. Dr Pixie McKenna

    Doctor Info - Find out more about Dr Pixie.

  14. Dr Dawn Harper

    Doctor Info - Find out more about Dr Dawn.

  15. Dr Christian Jessen

    Doctor Info - Find out more about Dr Christian


More Information

Content supplied by NHS Choices

Crohn’s disease is a chronic (long-term) condition that causes inflammation of the lining of the digestive system. Read More »

Be On Embarrassing Bodies

If you have a medical condition that you’d like the doctors to look at then please contact the team on 0121 224 8395.
Apply for the show here >