Crohns diseasecan cause many symptoms, both in the digestive tract and in other parts of the body.
Abnormal stools (poop) tend to be common, especially whenCrohns diseaseis active.
Digestive symptoms can include diarrhea, constipation, pain, and blood or mucus in the stools.
Win Nondakowit / EyeEm / Getty Images
Crohns disease can cause changes in the stool.
Crohns disease could cause:
What Does Crohns Disease Poop Look Like?
Crohns disease can cause stool to look different.
It could be looser, more difficult to pass, and it could be in various shapes or colors.
Color
Crohn’s disease doesn’t cause stool to appear in any specific color.
Crohn’s disease may also cause some people to pass blood ormucusin their stools if their disease is active.
Blood can appear anywhere from bright red to nearlyblack.
The brighter the color, the further down in the intestines the blood is coming from.
Mucus is white or yellowish, looks stringy or like gel, and may be slippery.
Can a Stool Sample Detect Crohn’s Disease?
Stool tests are done to monitor Crohns disease.
However, a stool test alone cant diagnose Crohns disease.
Do You Poop a Lot With Crohns?
In severe Crohns disease, diarrhea could occur many times a day.
For some people with Crohns disease, stools are infrequent.
This can sometimes be because of a narrowing of the intestines, making stool more difficult to pass.
This varies from person to person.
How to Treat Crohns Poop
The symptoms of Crohns disease may come and go.
One of the ways peopletreat active diseaseis with medications.
Dietary changes, vitamins, and supplements are also sometimes tried.
Antidiarrheal medicationsmight sometimes be used for Crohns disease but only after talking to a healthcare provider about them.
They might not be helpful for some people.
People typically work with their healthcare providers to find the treatment that helps get symptoms under control.
Talk to a healthcare provider before taking stool softeners or laxatives when you have Crohns disease.
If constipation is related to Crohns, more treatment might be needed to manage Crohns disease.
The healthcare provider will usually give instructions on what symptoms indicate a visit should be more frequent.
These could include diarrhea, constipation, blood in the stool, and abdominal pain.
Bowel movements do have an odor, and diarrhea may have an even stronger odor.
Foul-smelling stool can also be a symptom of an infection that might need treatment with antibiotics.
Finally,blood in the stoolis never normal.
Blood can appear bright red to darker, almost black, making it more difficult to identify as blood.
The odor also might be different and smell like pennies.
Blood in the stool is always a reason to see a healthcare provider.
Summary
Crohns disease can cause changes to stool.
This can include changes in color and frequency or the presence of blood or mucus.
2019;2019:1-16. doi:10.1155/2019/7247238.
2019;68(Suppl 3):s1-s106.
2018;113(4):481-517. doi:10.1038/ajg.2018.27.
UNC Multidisciplinary Center for IBD.Ulcerative colitis Crohns disease.
