Crohn's Disease

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Description

  • anywhere from mouth to anus
  • commonly
    • terminal ileum
    • colon
    • rectum
  • whole thickness of bowel wall involved
  • familial clustering
  • rarely malignancy

Presentation

  • 15-35 year age group
  • diarrhoea
  • abdominal pain
  • weight loss
  • malaise

History

Symptoms

  • Malaise
  • Anorexia
  • Fever
  • Nausea
  • Abdominal pain
  • Weight loss
  • diarhoea
  • rectal bleeding
  • Perianal inflammation
    • abscess
    • fissure
    • fistulae
  • relapsing remitting
  • Dry, gritty eyes
  • Arthralgia
  • Rashes

PMH

PSHx

  • surgery for intestinal obstruction
    • stricture
    • fistula
    • failure of medical management

Examination

Investigations

  • HB
  • FBC
  • ESR
  • Folate
  • B12
  • U&Es - electrolyte imbalances
  • LFTs - lowered albumin
  • CRP raised
  • AXR
    • Obstruction
    • perforation
    • toxic dilatation
  • Barium meal & enema
    • skip lesions
    • strictures
    • rose-thorn ulcers
    • cobblestone mucosa
  • Sigmoidoscoy and biopsy
  • Colonoscopy and biopsy
  • USS
  • CT -abscesses

Pathology

  • Mouth to anus
    • Most frequently terminal ileum
  • Thickened, narrowed bowel
  • Cobblestone appearance
  • Skip lesions
  • Inflammation involves all layers
  • Granulomas

Complications

  • toxic dilatation
  • stricture
  • internal fistula
  • haemorrhage
  • abscess formation
  • peri-anal complications
  • gallstones
  • renal calculi
  • psychological problems
  • risk of carcinoma

Treatment

Indications for surgery

  • toxic dilatation
  • acute haemorrhage
  • perforation
  • obstruction
  • abscess formation
  • fistula formation
  • failure of medical treatment
  • uncertainty of diagnosis
  • prevention/development of carcinoma

Prognosis

  • Acute regional ileitis may be cured by right hemicolectomy
  • colonic Crohns responds to medical therapy but 50% of patients will need surgery at some point
  • mortality = 14% over 30 years
 

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