| [ Summary ] |
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an idiopathic inflammatory disease of the intestinal tract. Patients with IBD may have complications due to extraintestinal manifestations. The skin is one of the most commonly affected organ systems in patients with IBD. The pathogenesis of cutaneous manifestation of IBD is due to common mechanisms involving the bowel and skin. Disrupted equilibrium between host defense and tolerance, as well as subsequent abnormal immune reactions may be responsible for cutaneous disorders in patients with IBD. Studies have implicated several possible immune pathways concerning cutaneous IBD disorders. Recent studies suggest that Th17 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of IBD and other autoimmune disease as well. The cutaneous manifestations of IBD have been classified into four categories related to pathogenesis, specific cutaneous manifestations, reactive cutaneous manifestations and secondary manifestations due to complications of IBD. Erythema nodosum and pyoderma gangrenosum are the most common skin lesions associated with IBD. Since skin disorders may be correlated with IBD activity, it is important to understand that skin manifestations should always be checked and evaluated for patients with IBD. |