Everyone Healthy Library
Bowel Obstruction
Sign or symptom reference page from the Everyone Healthy database.
! Seek urgent medical care if warning signs appear
A symptom can have many possible causes. Some symptoms need urgent assessment, especially when they are severe, sudden or rapidly worsening.
Get urgent medical care now if there is any severe, sudden, rapidly worsening or worrying symptom, especially:
- chest pain, pressure or pain spreading to the arm, jaw or back
- trouble breathing, blue lips, severe wheeze or choking
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- severe abdominal pain, severe headache, stiff neck or sudden vision change
- signs of severe dehydration, sepsis, high fever with worsening illness, or symptoms in a baby/young child that concern you
Full information
Bowel Obstruction
A blockage in the bowels that prevents the normal passing of digested products. Symptoms vary depending on whether the blockage has occurred in the large bowel or small bowel, but include things such as abdominal pain (location will depend on which bowel is blocked), vomiting, bloating and diarrhoea or constipation.
Symptom classification
Body areaBowel
Conditions linked to this sign/symptom
16Drugs where this is listed as a side effect
0No drug side-effect links are listed yet.