IBD Flashcards
What is crohn’s disease?
chronic transmural inflammatory disease of GI tract
- most common in TERMINAL ILEUM
Who are more commonly affected by Crohn’s disease?
- 2nd & 3rd decade
- 6th to 7th decade
- 2 times the risk in smokers
- strong family history of Crohn’s
What are the risk factors of Crohn’s disease?
- familial aggregation
- genetic predisposition ( NOD2, HLA-B27)
- tobacco
What is the pathogenesis of Crohn’s disease?
- increased permeability of mucus membranes + abnormal immune mediated response to normal gut flora
- TH1 mediated response
- ASCA autoantibodies
What are the types of Crohn’s disease?
- terminal ileum 60%
- Colitis alone 1/3
- perianal lesions 50-75%
- stomach & duodenum 5%
What will be seen GROSSLY on exploration of Crohn’s?
- thickened grayish-pink or dull purple-red loops of bowel
- thick gray-white exudate or fibrosis of serosa
- skip lesions
- fibrotic thickening of intestinal wall (fat wrapping if circumferential)
- dilated bowel proximal to stricture
- SNAKE-LIKE/ROSE-THORN (linear mucosal ulcers)
- mesenteric abscesses & fistulae
What is the microscopic picture of Crohn’s disease?
- edema of mucosa & submucosa before any gross change
- inflammatory infiltrate extends transmurally
- NONCASEATING GRANULOMAS WITH LANGERHANS GIANT CELLS
early acute -> hyperemic & boggy
chronic -> fibrotic scarring and bowel wall thickened with leathery texture
What are the characteristic findings of Crohn’s disease?
C cobblestone mucosa R rose-thorn ulcers O obstruction of bowel H hyerplasia of mesenteric lymph nodes N narrowing of lumen S skip lesions
What are the clinical features of Crohn’s disease?
- insidious onset with slow & protracted course
- gradually becomes more frequent & severe & longer lasting attacks
- intermittent colicky abdominal pain in lower abdomen (mimics appendicitis)
- diarrhea
- perianal disease (suspect in any patient with multiple chronic perianal fistulas)
systemic symptoms - low-grade fever
- weight loss
- loss of strength
- malaise
What are the extraintestinal manifestations of Crohn’s disease?
- skin lesions -> erythema nodosum, pyoderma gangrenosum
- arthritis & arthralgias
- uveitis & iritis
- amyloidosis
- hepatitis pericholangitis
- pancreatitis
- renal or gallbladder calculi
What are the complications of Crohn’s disease?
- obstruction
- perforation
- fistulas
- localized abscesses
- toxic megacolon
- cancer
What is the DD of Crohn’s disease?
- acute appendicitis
- mesenteric lymphadenitis
- ovarian pathology
- salmonella & shigella
- intestinal TB
- acute distal ileitis
How can we confirm a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease?
CLINICAL
- history & examination
BLOOD
- CBC U&E, LFT, coagulation profile
- CRP, ESR
- ANCA & ASCA +ve
- nutritional albumin, prealbumin
STOOL
- culture & microscopy to rule out infectious colitis
- C diff toxin to rule out pseudomembraneous colitis
UGI scope & COLONOSCOPY WITH BIOPSY
- patchy inflammation
- linear ulcers
- cobble stone appearance
- stricture
MR enterography
How can Crohn’s disease be treated?
conserve by MEDICAL - steroids - aminosalicylates - antibiotics - imminomodulatory agents - monoclonal antibodies -> for severe active disease - nutritional support
ENDOSCOPIC TREATMENT OF STRICTURE
- balloon dilatation through enteroscope or colonoscope
- contraindicated if there’s an inflamed or ulcerated stricture
What are the indications for surgery in Crohn’s disease?
complications
- intestinal obstruction
- intestinal perforation with fistula formation or abscess
- free perforation
- GI bleeding
- cancer
- perianal disease
- extraintestinal manifestations