What are the warning signs of a bowel obstruction?

Symptoms Crampy abdominal pain that comes and goes. Loss of appetite. Constipation. Vomiting. Inability to have a bowel movement or pass gas. Swelling of the abdomen.

mayoclinic.org - Intestinal obstruction - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

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Overview

Colon and small intestine Open pop-up dialog box Close Colon and small intestine Colon and small intestine The small intestine and colon are parts of your digestive tract, which processes the foods you eat. The intestines take nutrients from the foods. What isn't absorbed by the intestines continues along the digestive tract and is passed as stool during a bowel movement. Intestinal obstruction is a blockage that keeps food or liquid from passing through your small intestine or large intestine (colon). Causes of intestinal obstruction may include fibrous bands of tissue (adhesions) in the abdomen that form after surgery; hernias; colon cancer; certain medications; or strictures from an inflamed intestine caused by certain conditions, such as Crohn's disease or diverticulitis. Without treatment, the blocked parts of the intestine can die, leading to serious problems. However, with prompt medical care, intestinal obstruction often can be successfully treated.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of intestinal obstruction include:

Crampy abdominal pain that comes and goes

Loss of appetite

Constipation

Vomiting

Inability to have a bowel movement or pass gas

Swelling of the abdomen

When to see a doctor

Because of the serious complications that can develop from intestinal obstruction, seek immediate medical care if you have severe abdominal pain or other symptoms of intestinal obstruction. There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Review/update the information highlighted below and resubmit the form. From Mayo Clinic to your inbox Sign up for free, and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips and current health topics, like COVID-19, plus expertise on managing health. Email ErrorEmail field is required ErrorInclude a valid email address Learn more about Mayo Clinic’s use of data. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail. Subscribe! Thank you for subscribing! You'll soon start receiving the latest Mayo Clinic health information you requested in your inbox. Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry

Causes

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Intussusception Open pop-up dialog box Close Intussusception Intussusception Intussusception is a rare, serious disorder in which one part of the intestine slides inside an adjacent part.

The most common causes of intestinal obstruction in adults are:

Intestinal adhesions — bands of fibrous tissue in the abdominal cavity that can form after abdominal or pelvic surgery Hernias — portions of intestine that protrude into another part of your body

Colon cancer

In children, the most common cause of intestinal obstruction is telescoping of the intestine (intussusception).

Other possible causes of intestinal obstruction include:

Inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn's disease

Diverticulitis — a condition in which small, bulging pouches (diverticula) in the digestive tract become inflamed or infected

Twisting of the colon (volvulus)

Impacted feces

Pseudo-obstruction

Intestinal pseudo-obstruction (paralytic ileus) can cause signs and symptoms of intestinal obstruction, but it doesn't involve a physical blockage. In paralytic ileus, muscle or nerve problems disrupt the normal coordinated muscle contractions of the intestines, slowing or stopping the movement of food and fluid through the digestive system.

Paralytic ileus can affect any part of the intestine. Causes can include:

Abdominal or pelvic surgery

Infection

Certain medications that affect muscles and nerves, including antidepressants and opioids

Muscle and nerve disorders, such as Parkinson's disease

Risk factors

Diseases and conditions that can increase your risk of intestinal obstruction include:

Abdominal or pelvic surgery, which often causes adhesions — a common intestinal obstruction Crohn's disease, which can cause the intestine's walls to thicken, narrowing the passageway

Cancer in your abdomen

Complications

Untreated, intestinal obstruction can cause serious, life-threatening complications, including:

mayoclinic.org - Intestinal obstruction - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

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