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Anatomic problems of the lower GI tract: a blocked, twisted or narrowed colon, intussusception, fistulas, rectal prolapse, and birth defects of the anus and rectum, the signs, who gets them, the tests, and treatment
For the parent of a newborn with a problem of the anus, the rectum or the colon, for the parent of a baby or young child with bouts of crying and belly pain, for anyone with pus near the anus, stool or gas where it should not be, or something that sticks out of the anus, for anyone whose colon has twisted, and for the people who help them. It passes on, by name, what the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK, part of the NIH) says about seven problems with the structure of the large intestine and the anus: what they are and the signs; who gets them, the causes, and the complications; how doctors find them; treatment; and what can come after. It builds the questions to ask and prints a card. Nothing is saved.
Right now
- Green vomit, a hard or swollen belly, or a baby who passes no stool? NIDDK says a blocked intestine needs medical help right away. Call 911 or go to the emergency room (ours).
- Confusion, a fast heart rate, pale skin and sweating, or a rectal prolapse that will not go back in? NIDDK names these as signs of shock and as a medical emergency. Call 911 (ours).
- At the end of your rope, or having thoughts of suicide? Call or text 988, any hour, free (ours).
More help
- The belly on this site: Hirschsprung disease · Abdominal adhesions · Ostomy surgery · Belly and stomach: find the right page.
- Around it: Constipation · Bowel control · Crohn’s disease · Caring for someone.
- For you: My medicines · Low-cost health care · Get ready for your appointment. In an emergency: Help right now (988, 911). All our free tools.
An upset stomach, and not sure this is the right page? The pages on this site for throwing up, diarrhea, heartburn and constipation, on one list.
Other guides on this site that go with this page
Free to read. We chose these ourselves; no professional did. Each guide was written with AI and has not been reviewed by a professional. They are general information, not advice.
- Intestinal pseudo-obstruction: belly pain, bloating and vomiting with nothing blocking the intestines, the chronic and the sudden kind, the causes, the tests, treatment, and food: intestinal pseudo-obstruction: the signs, the chronic and the sudden kind, the causes, the tests, treatment, and food.
This page and its wording were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). No doctor or nurse has reviewed it. The facts were read on October 22, 2026 on NIDDK’s (NIH) page Anatomic Problems of the Lower GI Tract, all eight sections, last reviewed in August 2019. Ours: the 911 and 988 lines; when to get help the same day or soon; keeping a note of the surgeries and any stoma; asking how to keep stools soft; asking before you stop or change a medicine; the questions to ask; the card; the links to our other pages; and the order of the steps. What we left out: its references, its pictures, and the other pages it links to, which we did not read. Nothing you tick or type here is saved or sent.