Colorectal diseases encompass a wide variety of conditions affecting the colon and rectum. The severity of each condition can vary from mildly irritating such as constipation or occasional diarrhea to life threatening such as colorectal cancer. Studies show that early screening and treatment of colon and rectal diseases can significantly improve treatment outcomes and survival rates of patients. However, many patients delay or don't seek treatment because of lack of knowledge about their disease and its symptoms or just too embarrassed to seek help.

 Because the symptoms of different colon and rectal disease can closely resemble those of other diseases, there is the potential for misdiagnosis and mistreatment. Colon and rectal specialists emphasize the importance of early screening and treatment of colorectal diseases for the best outcomes. Therefore, it is important to be able to identify the signs and symptoms of the various diseases of the colon and rectum.