Abstract
Crohn's disease (CD) is a type of inflammatory bowel disease of unknown etiology that impacts patients’ quality of life. The inflammation is transmural, asymmetrical, segmental, and can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract, but most commonly affects the ileum. The pathogenesis involves a complex interaction among genetic, environmental, microbial, epithelial, and immune system factors that trigger an uncontrolled inflammatory response. CD is heterogeneous and is classified into different phenotypes based on age at diagnosis, anatomic location of the inflammation, and disease behavior. The most frequent clinical manifestations are abdominal pain, diarrhea, and weight loss. Other manifestations arise from complications, such as the development of stenosis, fistulas, intra-abdominal abscesses, and malnutrition. In addition, extraintestinal manifestations may appear, mainly in the joints, eyes, and skin. A diagnosis is based on a combination of clinical, biochemical, endoscopic, histological, and radiological criteria. CD is a complex entity that requires multidisciplinary care. Therefore, both primary care physicians and other specialists should be familiar with this disease.
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