In Ulcerative Colitis (UC), the rectum is always involved, but the disease may be extended to the left colon (distal colitis) or the entire organ (pancolitis). Secondary perineal lesions (erythema, fissures, hemorrhoids) are limited to local irritation related to the diarrheic syndrome; specific ano-rectal lesions are related to the mucosal inflammatory process, but others pathological situations may be observed and are due to the postoperative status (stenotic ileo-anal anastomosis, pouch inflammation). Ano-rectal localisation of Crohn's Disease (CD), sometimes underestimated, is clinically more complex (abscess, fistula, ulcer, etc) and requires precise classical (endoscopy, conventional radiology) or more modern (echo-endoscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance) investigations. The treatment is more difficult (medical conservative, "a minima" or more extended surgery). Differential diagnosis, symptoms, methods of investigation and appropriated therapeutical choices are successively developed.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents↗

PubMedDate not supplied

An unusual cause of subocclusion in Crohn's disease.

Enteroliths as a cause of intermittent small bowel obstruction is a uncommon clinical entity. We present the case of a patient with Crohn's disease in whom a false primary enterolith--an apricot seed--was responsible for numerous episodes of subobstruction. The association of Crohn's disease with different types of enterolith is discussed.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Epidemiology of inflammatory bowel disease in Brussels' area (1992-1993).

A prospective epidemiological study on inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) patients was performed in Brussels' area from April 1st, 1992 to 30th March, 1993. The mean annual incidence for Crohn's diseases (CD) was 4.1/10(5) inhabitants/year among native Belgian people and 6.4/10(5) inhabitants/year for subjects issued from Moroccan families. For ulcerative colitis, the incidence was 3.7/10(5) inhabitants/year for native Belgian people and only 1.2/10(5) inhabitants/year for Moroccan subjects. The male/female sex ratio was 0.4 for CD and 1.9 for UC. At the time of diagnosis, the mean age was 34 years for CD and 38 years for UC. For both diseases, the age peak was between 20 and 29 years. Cigarette smoking was significantly higher in CD (48%) than in UC patients (12%). Family history was about 10% for both diseases.

Adult↗