Crohn's disease with pulmonary involvement in a 3 year old boy

Abstract

Extra-intestinal or metastatic Crohn's diseaseis being recognised increasingly, most commonly in the skin and genitourinary system.Only very rarely has it been reported in thelung. A 3 year old boy who presented with swolien gums and a persistent abnormality on his chest x ray is reported. Lung biopsy specimens showed multiple non-caseating epithelioid granulomas. Subsequent investigation showed the presence of intestinal Crohn's disease. The evidence for abnormal lung function in Crohn's disease and the possible pathogenesis of metastatic pulmonary Crohn's disease are discussed.