What transmural means in Crohn's disease

The bowel wall has layers that help it move food, absorb fluid, and form a protective barrier. When Crohn's inflammation reaches deeper layers, swelling and scarring can narrow a passage. Inflammation may also create an abnormal tunnel between nearby organs or the skin, called a fistula, or an area that collects infected fluid, called an abscess.

Transmural disease is a description of disease depth, not a prediction of what will happen to every person. Symptoms can include cramping abdominal pain, diarrhoea, fever, reduced appetite, or vomiting, but symptoms do not show the full depth of inflammation by themselves.

Keep appointments even when symptoms ease, because deeper inflammation may need monitoring. Take prescribed treatment as directed and tell your team if pain becomes meal-related, your abdomen swells, you vomit, or bowel movements change sharply.

Assessment may include an examination, blood tests, stool testing, and bowel imaging or endoscopy. The choice depends on your symptoms, previous findings, and treatment history.

Seek urgent care for severe or worsening abdominal pain, a swollen abdomen with repeated vomiting, inability to pass stool or gas, fever with marked weakness, or faintness. These symptoms can occur with a blockage, abscess, or another complication requiring rapid treatment.

Contact your Crohn's team promptly if diarrhoea, bleeding, pain, or fever is steadily worsening rather than waiting for the next planned review.

Ask which bowel areas are involved, how depth is being assessed, whether there are signs of narrowing or a fistula, and which symptoms should prompt same-day care.