The ‘silent symptom’ of Crohn’s disease you might spot in your EYES – and 4 other signs

CROHN’S Disease is a lifelong condition that causes parts of the digestive system to become inflamed.

It’s estimated that over 155,000 UK adults are currently living with it.

Though symptoms of the condition affect sufferers’ digestive systems, some signs can appear in your eyes and other parts of the body

Although sufferers will have periods of good health, there are flare-ups where symptoms are more active.

The main symptoms are digestive – such as diarrhoea and stomach cramps – but sufferers also experience fatigue and weight loss.

It is one of the two main forms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease – the other is a condition known as Ulcerative Colitis.

Signs of the condition, which tends to get worse over time, can also crop up in other parts of the body.

From your eyes to your skin and joints, here’s where you might spot silent symptoms of Crohn’s.

1. Your eyes

Some people with Crohn’s might actually be affected by eye problems.

The most common condition to affect Crohn’s sufferers peepers is episcleritis, according to York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

This affects the layer of tissue covering the sclera – the white outer coating of the eye – making it red, sore and inflamed.

Episcleritis tends to flare up at the same time as digestive issues do.

But there are two other eye conditions linked with Crohn’s: scleritis – when the sclera itself is inflamed – and uveitis.

This is when the iris, the coloured part of your eye, becomes inflamed.

2. Your skin

The most common skin problem to affect people with Crohn’s is erythema nodosum.

This appears usually appears on sufferers legs, in the form of raised red and violet coloured swellings that are tender.

It’s more common in women than men and strikes one in seven people with the condition, according to York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals.

Erythema nodosum tends to coincide with Crohn’s flare-ups but can ease with treatment.

More rarely, a condition called pyoderma gangrenosum affects people with Crohn’s Disease. 

This starts as small tender blisters or pustules, which become painful, deep ulcers. They can occur anywhere on the skin, but most commonly appear on people’s shins or near their stoma if they have one.

It’ll sometimes be linked to a symptom flare-up, but not always.  

3. Your mouth

Chron’s can occasionally affect people’s mouth.

This variation of the disease is often referred to as ‘orofacial granulomatosis’ and is more likely to affect children, although it is rare.

It typically causes swollen lips and mouth fissures, but some people with Crohn’s may develop mouth ulcers during flare-ups.

4. Your joints

A common complication or Crohn’s are inflamed joints, known as arthritis.

It’s most common when Crohn’s affects the colon, known as Crohn’s Colitis.

The large joints in peoples’ arms and legs – including the elbows, wrists, knees and ankles – are likely to be inflamed and sore.

But these symptoms usually improve when sufferers intestinal symptoms are treated, and there is generally no lasting damage to the joints. 

In some cases, the joints in the spine and pelvis become inflamed – this is a condition called ankylosing spondylitis or sacroiliitis, in its less severe form.

This can flare up independently of Crohn’s and often causes pain on the joints on either side of the lower part of the spine.  Stiffness and pain in the spine itself may eventually lead to loss of flexibility. 

5. Your liver

One in 50 people with Crohn’s will be affected with a rare disease called Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis, in which the bile ducts inside and outside the liver progressively decrease in size due to inflammation and scarring.

 Symptoms include fatigue, itching, jaundice, and weight loss.

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