🏠 Study Hub 🖼️ Infographics
Nursing Field Notes / GI · Pathophysiology Course

Crohn's & UC 🔥

NG-030 GI ADHD-friendly visual edition

IBD — Inflammatory Bowel Disease — is the umbrella over Crohn's disease and Ulcerative Colitis (UC). Both are autoimmune diseases (the body is attacking itself), so signs & symptoms come & go.

📄 Simple Nursing original — opens in Drive →

👑 Crohn's = "Crown's"Mouth → anus, skip lesions, NO blood.
🩸 UC = colon bleeds15–20 bloody liquid stools per day.
🧈 Fatty stools = Crohn'sSteatorrhea + 5 loose stools/day (mucus/pus).
🔥 Flares = the 3 S'sStress · Smoking · Sepsis (infection).
🔬

PATHO

STEP 1 · WHAT'S INFLAMED & WHERE

Two diseases, one umbrella — the exam lives in the differences. Look at the pattern.

🗺️ Side by side: patchy tunnels vs one long bleeding sore

👑 CROHN'S mouth → anus · mainly small intestines mouth anus Skip lesions patch → gap → patch TEST TIP Granulomas bumps & lumps Fistulas, fissures & abscesses open tunnels that can contaminate the body 🚫 NO blood main difference from UC gut wall depth: DEEP — all layers hit → fistulas (open tunnels) 🩸 ULCERATIVE COLITIS colon only · starts at rectum, climbs up 🩸 starts at rectum climbs up — continuous, no gaps Ulcers "big long open sores that bleed" 15–20 / day bloody liquid stools ↓ H/H hemoglobin & hematocrit → anemia gut wall depth: SURFACE sores in the colon lining — they bleed

👑 Crohn's disease — bumps, lumps & tunnels

Inflammation granulomas (bumps & lumps) from mouth to anus, but mainly in the small intestines, that do not bleed.

This deep inflammation can lead to fistulas — open tunnels of the GI tract that can contaminate the body.

  • 🕳️ Inflamed tissue: fistulas, fissures, & abscesses
  • 🫘 Granulomas (bumps & lumps)
  • 🗺️ Skip lesions TEST TIP
🧠 Memory trick: Crohn's = "Crown's disease" 👑 — the crown starts at the head (mouth) and the disease can run all the way down to the anus.

🩸 Ulcerative Colitis (UC) — the colon bleeds

Inflammation & ulcers in the colon — "big long open sores that bleed" — leading to decreased hemoglobin.

  • 🚽 15–20 bloody liquid stools per day
  • 🧪 Anemia
  • 📉 Decreased H/H (Hemoglobin & Hematocrit)
🧠 UC = "U C blood." Ulcerative Colitis is the one where yoU C (see) blood — Crohn's doesn't bleed.
🚽

SIGNS

STEP 2 · READ THE STOOL

The stool count, the fat, and the blood tell you which disease you're looking at.

⚖️ Crohn's vs UC — the exam table

👑 Crohn's🩸 UC
Where 📍 Mouth → anus, mainly small intestines Colon
Pattern 🗺️ Skip lesions TEST TIP — patchy, deep Continuous — one long stretch of sores from the rectum up
Tissue 🔬 Granulomas (bumps & lumps) · fistulas, fissures & abscesses Ulcers — "big long open sores that bleed"
Stools 🚽 5 loose stools/day (mucus/pus) + Steatorrhea 🧈 (fatty stools) 15–20 bloody liquid stools per day
Blood 🩸 ❌ NO blood — main difference from UC ✅ Bleeds → anemia, ↓ H/H
🧠 Crohn's counts to 5 and stays fatty; UC unloads 15–20 and runs bloody. Few & fatty vs many & bloody.

🚨 Red flag: rebound tenderness

Rebound tenderness — pain that spikes when you press down and let go — is a Report to HCP finding. Don't sit on it.

🧪 Labs — why UC drains the blood count

Big long open sores bleed → decreased hemoglobin → Anemia with ↓ H/H (Hemoglobin & Hematocrit).

👑 Crohn's does not bleed — so no anemia clue there.

🔥

TRIGGERS

STEP 3 · WHY IT FLARES

Autoimmune = the body attacks itself — so symptoms come & go with the 3 S's.

🔥 Causes & triggers — the 3 S's

Both conditions are autoimmune diseases (the body is attacking itself), so naturally signs & symptoms come & go during times of stress, smoking & sepsis (infection).

S
😖 Stress NCLEX TIP
S
🚬 Smoking
S
🦠 Sepsis (infection)
🧠 Three S's strike the match: Stress · Smoking · Sepsis — and the bowel catches fire 🔥 (flare!).

☂️ One umbrella: IBD

IBD = Inflammatory Bowel Disease — the family name that covers both.

IBD ☂️ Inflammatory Bowel Disease 🩸 UC colon · bleeds 👑 Crohn's mouth → anus · no blood
⚡

QUICK RECALL

SAY IT OUT LOUD
👑 Skip lesions + granulomas= Crohn's — deep, patchy, NO blood.
🩸 15–20 bloody stools/day= UC → anemia, ↓ H/H.
🚨 Rebound tenderness= Report to HCP.
🔥 3 S's flare IBDStress · Smoking · Sepsis (infection).
🎯 Cover & check — 4 rapid-fire questions
Q1: Client reports 15–20 bloody liquid stools per day. Crohn's or UC?
UC — colon ulcers (big long open sores) bleed → decreased hemoglobin, anemia, ↓ H/H.
Q2: "Skip lesions" and granulomas show up in the question stem. Which disease?
Crohn's ("Crown's") — patchy deep inflammation, mouth to anus, mainly small intestines, NO blood.
Q3: Your IBD client develops rebound tenderness. What do you do?
Report to HCP — rebound tenderness is a red-flag finding.
Q4: Name the 3 S triggers that make symptoms come & go.
Stress, Smoking, Sepsis (infection) — both diseases are autoimmune, so flares come & go.