An unusual cutaneous manifestation of Crohn's disease.
Crohn's disease is a multisystem disease that involves the skin in approximately 20% of afflicted individuals. Most often, it is characterized by an erythema nodosum-like reaction or by a fistulous tract in skin adjacent to mucosal membranes. We recently saw a patient who presented with crusted malar plaques and a long-standing history of Crohn's disease. The skin lesions relapsed and recurred in concert with exacerbations of the gastrointestinal disorder. On biopsy, the sections showed a diffuse neutrophilic inflammatory infiltrate. There was no evidence of a granulomatous infiltrate on step sections through the block. We believe this to be a previously unrecognized pattern of Crohn's disease involving the skin.
Smoller
B R
BR
Department of Pathology, New York Hospital-Cornell University Medical Center, New York.
Weishar
M
M
Gray
M H
MH
D000208:Acute Disease; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000473:pathology; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D013577:Syndrome