Cutaneous manifestations in 404 Iranian patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease are relatively common, although they vary widely.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of cutaneous manifestations in inflammatory bowel disease according to their location, age, gender, activity, and type of underlying disease in an Iranian population during a 10-year period.

METHODS: The medical records of 404 inpatients with inflammatory bowel disease were extracted retrospectively to detect cutaneous manifestations.

RESULTS: In this study, the prevalence of cutaneous manifestations was 5.9%. These manifestations were higher in Crohn's disease (7.29%) than in ulcerative colitis (4.07%), and more frequent in females (52%) than in males (48%). Aphthous stomatitis was observed more frequently in Crohn's disease; however, pyoderma gangrenosum was seen more often in ulcerative colitis. Erythema nodosum was diagnosed only in female patients with Crohn's disease. Manifestations secondary to nutritional deficiency or associated conditions including psoriasis and other autoimmune disorders were less frequent.

CONCLUSIONS: Aphthous stomatitis, pyoderma gangrenosum, and erythema nodosum were the most common skin disorders related to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which mainly occurred in women.