Korean J Dermatol.  2020 Feb;58(2):77-85.

Extraintestinal Cutaneous Manifestations in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Survey and Literature Review

• Lee SM
• Lee SY
• Lee JS
• Cho MK
• Lee SH
• Jung YH
• Kim JE

Abstract

Background
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic, relapsing, inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract. IBD tends to coincide with several cutaneous symptoms and signs; previous studies have suggested a link between IBD and immune-mediated skin diseases (ISDs) such as psoriasis, rosacea, and atopic dermatitis. However, there is a paucity of reports on extraintestinal cutaneous manifestations in patients with IBD from Asia and Korea.
Objective
We examined the prevalence of cutaneous manifestations in IBD patients and investigated the possible association between IBD and various dermatoses in a Korean tertiary care hospital.
Methods
Detailed questionnaires were administered to 120 patients diagnosed with IBD treated at the gastrointestinal center of our hospital. We also extracted their medical records retrospectively to obtain additional information about both their cutaneous manifestations and IBD, including disease duration and treatment course. A literature review on the prevalence of psoriasis in IBD patients was performed to clarify the association between those diseases.
Results
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis were noted in 58 and 62 cases, respectively. Reactive skin lesions including aphthous stomatitis, erythema nodosum, and pyoderma gangrenosum were found in 12 cases (10%). ISDs such as psoriasis, rosacea, and atopic dermatitis were present in 3.3%, 21.7%, and 12.5% of cases, respectively. Other dermatoses including herpes zoster, xerosis, and skin fungal infection were also detected.
Conclusion
The prevalence of cutaneous manifestations in IBD is similar to that reported previously in Asian patients. Future investigations on the associations between skin diseases and IBD are needed to understand the pathogenesis and immunologic background of their comorbidities.

Keyword

Colitis ulcerative; Crohn disease; Inflammatory bowel diseases; Inflammatory skin diseases