Crohn’s Disease

Chapter 17 Crohn’s Disease



INTRODUCTION



Description: An idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease characterized by transmural involvement resulting in severe gastrointestinal symptoms and significant morbidity.

Prevalence: Two to 10 of 10,000.

Predominant Age: 15 to 30.

Genetics: First-degree relative for 20% of patients, more common in whites and Jews.


ETIOLOGY AND PATHOGENESIS



Causes: The inflammatory process in Crohn’s disease is transmural and involves both the large and small bowel in 50% of patients.

Risk Factors: Cigarette smoking (postulated but unproved).


CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS



Signs and Symptoms



• Abdominal pain (80% to 85%, often lasting for days or weeks; the pain described is frequently located in the mid-abdomen or right lower quadrant, although generalized pain is often present)

• Diarrhea (voluminous, watery, with occasional blood [20%])

• Fever

• Dyspareunia

• Vulvar or perineal fissures or fistulae or occasionally vulvar granulomas

• Arthritis, sclerosing cholangitis (5% to 10%)


DIAGNOSTIC APPROACH



Differential Diagnosis



• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

• Ulcerative colitis

• Enteric pathogens

• Lymphoma

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Jun 6, 2016 | Posted by in GYNECOLOGY | Comments Off on Crohn’s Disease

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