Oropharyngeal Crohn's disease

Clin Exp Gastroenterol. 2008:1:15-8. doi: 10.2147/ceg.s3755. Epub 2008 Dec 4.

Abstract

Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease that can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract. Classically the disease has a predilection for the distal small bowel and colon and presents with dominant symptoms of abdominal pain and diarrhea. This case report describes a 38-year-old woman with Crohn's disease who presented with odynophagia. Direct visualization of the oropharynx revealed a large serpiginous Crohn's disease ulcer. A precipitous drop in hemoglobin prompted a series of gastroenterologic investigations that confirmed both ileal and oropharyngeal Crohn's disease. This manuscript describes the presentation of oropharyngeal Crohn's and reviews previous reports and management options.

Keywords: Crohn’s disease; aphthous ulcer; gastroscopy; immunomodulatory therapy; odynophagia; oropharyngeal Crohn’s disease.