Crohn's disease and gastrocnemius vasculitis: two new cases.
We report two cases of gastrocnemius muscle vasculitis revealing Crohn's disease. Gastrocnemius muscle biopsy evidenced a necrotizing vasculitis resembling panarteritis nodosa in one case; a nonnecrotizing vasculitis was found in the other case. Neither of the patients had systemic vasculitic involvement, and the muscle disease resembled calf muscle-located panarteritis nodosa. Our literature review shows five cases of calf-located myalgia occurring during Crohn's disease characterized by heterogenous histopathological findings including vasculitic and myositic lesions. Thus, faced with calf-located myalgia with vasculitis or myositis, a search for Crohn's disease is probably necessary to determine precisely the frequency and the etiopathogenic mechanisms of this association.
Disdier
P
P
Service de Médecine Interne, Hôpital de la Timone, Marseille, France.
Swiader
L
L
Harlé
J R
JR
Pellissier
J F
JF
Figarella-Branger
D
D
Veit
V
V
Gérolami
A
A
Arlet
P h
Ph
Weiller
P J
PJ
D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology