DERMATOLOGICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF CROHN'S DISEASE*

Abstract

SUMMARY— A part from occasional case reports Crohn's disease has received little attention in the dermatological literature. Of 138 cases studied 44% were found to suffer from skin complications including abscess formation and ulceration in the peri-anal regions, groins or anterior abdominal wall. Less frequent were erythema nodosum, pyoderma gangrenosum and the skin manifestations of a malabsorption syndrome. The literature on the pathology and clinical features of Crohn's disease is briefly reviewed. The skin complications encountered are described, and their diagnostic importance is emphasized since their onset may precede any clinical manifestations of intestinal disturbance.