Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of Hirschsprung's disease vary with the severity of the condition. Usually signs and symptoms appear shortly after birth, but sometimes they're not apparent until later in life.

Typically, the most obvious sign is a newborn's failure to have a bowel movement within 48 hours after birth.

Other signs and symptoms in newborns may include:

• Swollen belly
• Vomiting, including vomiting a green or brown substance
• Constipation or gas, which might make a newborn fussy
• Diarrhea
• Delayed passage of meconium — a newborn's first bowel movement

In older children, signs and symptoms can include:

• Swollen belly
• Chronic constipation
• Gas
• Failure to thrive
• Fatigue