title: Cerebral white matter lesions in patients with Crohn's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To investigate the incidence, characteristics, and predisposing factors for cerebral white matter lesions in patients with Crohn's disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively evaluated the incidence and characteristics of cerebral T2 white matter abnormalities in 54 patients with Crohn's disease and compared to 100 age-matched controls. We also investigated potential co-morbidities known to be associated with white matter abnormalities in Crohn's patients with normal and abnormal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy-two percent of patients with Crohn's disease had T2 white matter abnormalities, as compared with 34% of the age-matched controls (P < .001). Lesion severity and size were not significantly different between the two groups; however, periventricular distribution and fulfillment of the Barkhof MRI criteria were overrepresented in Crohn's population. History of hypertension, diabetes, and migraine; gender, duration of disease and prior exposure to anti-tumor necrosis factor were not significantly different between Crohn's patients with and without white matter abnormalities; however, patients with lesions were significantly older than those without.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with Crohn's disease have a higher incidence of white matter T2 hyperintensities as compared with controls. Age was the only significant factor for the abnormalities within Crohn's group. White matter T2 hyperintensities are likely another extra-intestinal manifestation of Crohn's disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Lahey Clinic, Lexington, MA 02421, USA.
authors.forename: Merry
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Grace
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Lawrence N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Kwong
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lamont
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chaves
mesh_terms: D015897:Comorbidity; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000473:pathology*; D009468:Neuromuscular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity