Oral lesions as first clinical manifestations of Crohn’s disease in paediatric patients: a report on 8 cases

Authors

  • G Favia Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Aldo Moro University Bari
  • L Limongelli Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Aldo Moro University Bari
  • A Tempesta Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Aldo Moro University Bari
  • E Maiorano Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, Aldo Moro University Bari
  • S Capodiferro Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Aldo Moro University Bari

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23804/ejpd.2020.21.01.13

Keywords:

Crohn’s disease, Inflammatory bowel diseases, Oral Crohn’s disease, Orofacial granulomatosis

Abstract

AIM: Oro-facial granulomatosis is a descriptive term commonly encompassing a variety of conditions that exhibit similar clinical and microscopic features. It is generally used to describe persistent enlargement of the soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region. METHODS: We report on the salient clinical features of 8 cases of Crohn's disease in paediatric patients (age range from 9 to 13 years old), with oral lesions as first clinical manifestations. CONCLUSION: The detection of specific oral manifestations often preceded by painless gingival enlargement (diffuse lip and buccal mucosal swelling, oral cobblestoning, buccal sulcus ulceration and mucosal tags) and/or unspecific or ancillary ones (cheilitis, scaly perioral erythematous rashes and frank intraoral abscess formation, labial and tongue fissuring, glossitis and aphthous stomatitis) is mandatory for the early diagnosis of intestinal Crohn's disease.