A clinical case of pyoderma gangrenosum as a severe extraintestinal manifestation of Crohn’s disease

Abstract

Pyoderma gangrenosum is a rare neutrophilic dermatosis associated with a number of immune-mediated disorders, most frequently with inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Despite significant success in the treatment in inflammatory bowel disease, the problem of multidisciplinary management of patients with extraintestinal manifestations in routine medical practice remains unsolved. The paper presents a clinical case of a 32-year old female patient with a life-threatening extraintestinal manifestation of Crohn's disease, i. e. pyoderma gangrenosum. Late diagnosis of Crohn's disease, underestimation of the inflammation activity in the gut and respective lack of disease-modifying treatment were the reasons for the occurrence of pyoderma gangrenosum and its uncontrolled course. The untimely diagnosis of the skin purulent wound as an extraintestinal manifestation of Crohn's disease has led to delay in the immunosuppressive therapy required. The patient needed an intensive course of systemic glucocorticosteroids, prompt addition of a tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor and surgery as a circulatory autodermoplasty.