Metastatic Crohn's disease: a difficult diagnosis from different perspectives

Metastatic Crohn's disease (MCD) is a rare cutaneous manifestation of Crohn's disease (CD). The simultaneous involvement of the vulva and oral region is uncommon in clinical presentations of MCD. We present the case of a middle-aged woman with a family history of autoimmunity who initially presented with oral and vulvoperineal involvement. Initially, Behçet's disease was ruled out, but histopathological studies of the vulva revealed findings compatible with MCD. The patient had no gastrointestinal symptoms, and fecal calprotectin levels were normal. Upper and lower endoscopic examinations and capsule endoscopy of the small intestine (SI) did not reveal any significant findings. Treatment with anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) agents was initiated but resulted in paradoxical psoriasis with adalimumab and infliximab. Cyclosporine was also used, but the patient experienced intolerable tachycardia. After 18 months, the patient developed episcleritis and experienced diarrhea accompanied by cramp-like abdominal pain. Repeat upper and lower endoscopic examinations showed normal results, while capsule endoscopy of the SI revealed CD enteritis. The patient was diagnosed with CD of the small intestine, along with extraintestinal manifestations of vulvoperineal MCD, oral involvement, and episcleritis. Management with azathioprine and ustekinumab was initiated, resulting in significant clinical improvement. MCD poses a diagnostic challenge due to its unusual manifestations. It may present without gastrointestinal tract involvement, mimicking other conditions. Therefore, timely diagnosis and the selection of the most appropriate therapeutic strategy are crucial.

La enfermedad de Crohn metastásica (ECM) es una entidad rara, es una manifestación cutánea en enfermedad Crohn (EC), y en su presentación clínica es inusual el compromiso vulvar y oral de modo concomitante. Se describe el caso de una mujer de edad media que tiene historia familiar de autoinmunidad, presenta inicialmente compromiso oral y vulvoperineal. En su abordaje inicial se descartó enfermedad de Behçet, pero los estudios histopatológicos a nivel vulvar tuvieron hallazgos compatibles para ECM. Hubo ausencia de síntomas gastrointestinales y sus niveles de calprotectina fecal eran normales. Los estudios endoscópicos altos y bajos, y la cápsula endoscópica del intestino delgado (ID) no tuvieron hallazgos relevantes. Se inició el tratamiento con antifactor de necrosis tumoral (anti-TNF) y presentó una psoriasis paradójica con adalimumab e infliximab. También se utilizó ciclosporina y presentó una taquicardia intolerable. 18 meses después de estos síntomas tuvo epiescleritis e inició con diarrea asociada a dolor abdominal tipo cólico, por lo que se repitieron los estudios endoscópicos altos y bajos, que resultaron normales, y cápsula endoscópica de ID mostró una enteritis por EC. Se consideró EC de ID con manifestaciones extraintestinales y con ECM vulvoperineal, compromiso oral y epiescleritis. Se requirió manejo con azatioprina y ustekinumab, con una mejoría clínica significativa. La ECM es un reto diagnóstico, pues es una manifestación inusual; en su debut puede haber ausencia de compromiso en el tracto gastrointestinal y también simular otras entidades. Debe buscarse lograr el diagnóstico oportuno y la estrategia terapéutica más segura.

Oral manifestations associated with inflammatory bowel disease and early endoscopic findings in patients with spondyloarthritis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is a group of autoinflammatory disorders, of which the primary extra-articular manifestation is inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The oral cavity being a part of gastrointestinal tract, is significantly compromised in IBD, and in many cases, it is the first site of clinical manifestations of IBD. This study aimed to identify changes in the oral mucosa associated with the onset of IBD and their association with endoscopic/histological findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study assessed 80 patients with SpA and 52 healthy controls. Oral, rheumatological, and gastroenterological assessments were performed. The ileocolonoscopy was performed via digital magnification chromoendoscopy. The statistical analysis consisted of Chi-square, Fisher's exact, and multiple correspondence discriminant analysis tests. RESULTS: From the disease cohort, 63.0% patients showed oral lesions (p = 0.050). These manifestations ranged from gingivitis (55.0%, p = 0.001), aphthous stomatitis (3.8%, p = 0.091), angular cheilitis (2.6%, p = 0.200), and perioral erythema with scaling (1.3%, p = 0.300). All patients who presented with alterations in colonic mucosa also had oral lesions associated with IBD (p = 0.039), specifically gingivitis/aphthous stomatitis (p = 0.029). CONCLUSION: The patients with SpA without IBD present significant oral signs and symptoms. Gingivitis seems to be the most relevant because of its associations with early endoscopic and histological findings. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: An integral approach to the diagnostic tests that includes evaluations of oral, rheumatological and gastroenterological tissues may favor timely attention and improve patients' quality of life.