local
Last reviewed 11/2020
Possible local complications of Crohn's disease include:
- intestinal obstruction
- haemorrhage
- perforation with abscess
- stricture formation; common
- perianal abscess fistula
- fistulae to the bowel, bladder, vagina
- increased risk of malignancy but less than that of ulcerative colitis
Notes:
- abdominal or pelvic abscesses occur in 10–30% of patients with Crohn's disease (1)
- pyogenic hepatic abscess is a recognized
rare late complication of Crohn’s disease that occurs at a higher incidence than
the general population
- hepatic abscesses commonly present as multiple lesions occurring in a younger patient (<40 yrs old) with Crohn’s disease and drainage yields a single organism, typically streptococci (2)
Reference:
- Lee H et al. Nonsurgical treatment of abdominal or pelvic abscess in consecutive patients with Crohn's disease. Dig Liver Dis. 2006 Sep;38(9):659-64.
- Cassara JE et al. Hepatic abscess as the initial manifestation of Crohn’s disease. American Journal of Gastroenterology 2002; 97 (9); Supp.1:170-S171