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The following is a list of the common presenting symptoms that might occur
in patients with disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and in particular
the colon, rectum and anus:
| Change in bowel habit
- diarrhoea or constipation |
| Rectal bleeding -
fresh or dark |
| Abdominal pain -
acute or chronic |
| Anal discharge -
mucus or pus |
| Anal pain or
irritation |
| Weight loss |
| Loss of appetite |
| Nausea or vomiting |
| Prolapse of a lump
from the anus |
| Involuntary leakage
of wind or faeces from the back passage (incontinence) |
Remember
1. Some patients may have these symptoms in combination. There may
also be a family history of bowel problems for example bowel cancer.
2. These types of symptoms should be assessed so as to make a
diagnosis and recommend appropriate treatment.
3. One should not be too embarrassed to seek an opinion for what
might appear to be a trivial symptom.
4. It is only by seeing a specialist and then having the relevant
investigations that more serious diseases can be excluded. |
