Oral Manifestations of Crohn's Disease: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Victoria L Woo

doi:10.1155/2015/830472

Abstract

Crohn's disease (CD) is an inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract that is likely caused by an inappropriate mucosal inflammatory response to intestinal bacteria in a genetically predisposed host. The lesions of CD can involve any region of the GI tract as well as extraintestinal sites such as the skin, joints, and eyes. The most common presenting symptoms are abdominal pain and prolonged diarrhea associated with fevers, fatigue, and malaise. Delayed growth and failure to thrive may also be observed in pediatric patients. Oral manifestations of CD are known as oral CD and may precede GI involvement, thus serving as early markers of this condition. We describe a 6-year-old male who presented with oral lesions as his initial manifestation of disease and review the current literature pertaining to oral CD.

Highlights

Crohn’s disease (CD) is an immune-mediated disorder of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract which, along with ulcerative colitis, comprises the two major subsets of the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
It has been postulated that changes in the immune system and exposure to environmental risk factors are necessary triggers of disease [1]
The increasingly accepted theory is that CD is the result of an inappropriate mucosal inflammatory response to intestinal bacteria in a genetically predisposed host [2, 3]

Summary

Introduction

Crohn’s disease (CD) is an immune-mediated disorder of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract which, along with ulcerative colitis, comprises the two major subsets of the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The lesions of CD can involve any portion of the alimentary tract from the mouth to anus [4, 5]. Extraintestinal sites such as the skin, joints, and eyes may be affected as well. Oral involvement is identified in up to 80% of patients [4, 6, 7] and may precede GI involvement in some cases. We describe a pediatric patient whose initial presentation of CD was multifocal gingival erythema and swelling

Case Report

Findings

Discussion