Oral ulcerations are associated with the loss of response to infliximab in Crohn's disease

Choosing the right biologic for complications of inflammatory bowel disease

INTRODUCTION

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic, inflammatory condition that involves the intestinal tract, and can also present with extra-intestinal manifestations (EIM). Choosing the right treatment for IBD is often nuanced and decisions can become even more complicated when a patient presents with or develops a complication of the disease.

AREAS COVERED

We aimed to provide an overview of the most common complications of IBD, specifically intestinal and EIM, and summarize the data regarding biologic therapy for treatment of these conditions. A comprehensive literature review was performed using PubMed and Medline databases to identify studies published in the English language relevant to the broad scope of this review.

EXPERT OPINION

There are still significant gaps in our understanding of the pathophysiology of IBD and its treatment, especially in regards to complications of the disease. As novel therapies continue to emerge for treatment of IBD, we feel concurrent examination of their impact on intestinal complications and EIM of IBD is important and should be a priority of future research.

Prevalence of Oral Lesions and Correlation with Intestinal Symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review

Background: Extra-intestinal manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are widely studied. Oral manifestations are manifold, miscellaneous, and hardly detected by general practitioners and gastroenterologists. Objectives: The main purpose of this systematic review is to find all the possible correlations between inflammatory bowel disease and the oral cavity in order to underline the importance of multidisciplinary cooperation with dental care providers, and to secure better treatments for patients. Materials and methods: Articles were searched up to June 2019 through Ebsco’s, Google Scholar, and PubMed databases. The search terms included IBD, oral manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease, oral manifestations of Crohn’s disease or Ulcerative colitis, an extra-intestinal manifestation of IBD, oral Crohn’s disease, and paediatric inflammatory bowel disease. Discussion: The prevalence of the oral manifestation of IBD ranges from 0.7% to 37% in adults and from about 7% to 23% in children. They can be divided into specific manifestations (cobblestoning mucosa, mucosal tags, cheilitis granulomatosa, pyostomatitis vegetans) and nonspecific manifestations (halitosis, dysphagia, aphthous ulcerations, deep oral fissuring, cheilitis angularis, taste changes, lichen planus). Moreover, the link between IBD and the higher prevalence of dental caries and periodontitis have also been studied. Conclusions: The presence of oral manifestations that precede or follow intestinal symptoms of IBD, must be taken into serious consideration from both gastroenterologists and dentists in order to allow for early diagnosis and improve patients’ quality of life.

Review article: non-malignant oral manifestations in inflammatory bowel diseases

BACKGROUND

Patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) may present with lesions in their oral cavity. Lesions may be associated with the disease itself representing an extraintestinal manifestation, with nutritional deficiencies or with complications from therapy.

AIM

To review and describe the spectrum of oral nonmalignant manifestations in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases [ulcerative colitis (UC), Crohn's disease (CD)] and to critically review all relevant data.

METHODS

A literature search using the terms and variants of all nonmalignant oral manifestations of inflammatory bowel diseases (UC, CD) was performed in November 2014 within Pubmed, Embase and Scopus and restricted to human studies.

RESULTS

Oral lesions in IBD can be divided into three categories: (i) lesions highly specific for IBD, (ii) lesions highly suspicious of IBD and (iii) nonspecific lesions. Oral lesions are more common in CD compared to UC, and more prevalent in children. In adult CD patients, the prevalence rate of oral lesions is higher in CD patients with proximal gastrointestinal tract and/or perianal involvement, and estimated to range between 20% and 50%. Oral lesions can also occur in UC, with aphthous ulcers being the most frequent type. Oral manifestations in paediatric UC may be present in up to one-third of patients and are usually nonspecific.

CONCLUSIONS

Oral manifestations in IBD can be a diagnostic challenge. Treatment generally involves managing the underlying intestinal disease. In cases presenting with local disabling symptoms and impaired quality of life, local and systemic medical therapy must be considered and/or oral surgery may be required.

Orofacial Granulomatosis

Orofacial granulomatosis (OFG) is an uncommon chronic inflammatory disorder of the orofacial region. It is characterized by subepithelial noncaseating granulomas and has a spectrum of possible clinical manifestations ranging from subtle oral mucosal swelling to permanent disfiguring fibrous swelling of the lips and face. Etiopathogenesis is unknown. A range of systemic granulomatous disorders, including Crohn disease and sarcoidosis, may cause orofacial manifestations that cannot be distinguished from those of OFG. Treatment of OFG has proven difficult and unsatisfactory, with no single therapeutic model showing consistent efficacy in reducing orofacial swelling and mucosal inflammation.

Orofacial adverse effects of biological agents

Biological agents (BA) are increasingly used effectively in the treatment of a range of disorders, but to date, their application in diseases affecting the orofacial region has been fairly limited. Several orofacial adverse effects related to BA have been recently reported. However, the evidence for such adverse reactions is not always strong, and some of the adverse effects of BA have only been reported in case reports or case series. Most reactions to BA reported thus far have been in association with antitumor necrosis factor-α agents, which is not surprising, as these are the most widely-used BA. In the present study, the orofacial adverse effects are reported with various BA in order to sensitize clinicians to the possibilities. In addition, we briefly summarize the mode of action and indications of these BA. As the use and range of BA increases, the number and diversity of adverse effects might well increase. Despite the adverse effects of biological agents, these may often be less serious than the adverse effects of the more traditional immunosuppressive agents.

Looking in the mouth for Crohn's disease

It is widely acknowledged among gastroenterologists that the oral cavity may be involved in Crohn's disease (CD). However, the specific manifestations are poorly appreciated. Although oral aphthous ulceration is probably not diagnostically useful in patients with suspected CD, disease-specific manifestations do occur and are particularly common in children presenting with CD. These manifestations can be subtle, often are subclinical, yet commonly harbor diagnostically useful material (granulomas). Orofacial granulomatosis (OFG) is conventionally used to describe patients with overt oral disease without obvious involvement of the gastrointestinal tract. However, many patients with OFG have subclinical intestinal CD or will progress to develop overt intestinal CD with time. The management of severe oral disease is challenging and lacks a clear evidence base.

Severe refractory orofacial Crohn's disease: report of a case

Oral involvement is common in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and can precede intestinal symptoms, making diagnosis difficult. We report a case of severe orofacial CD. A 41-year-old woman presented with palate and tongue ulcers. Biopsies showed acute inflammation with ulcer. Colonoscopy demonstrated ascending colon ulceration. Biopsies revealed acute colitis and mild architectural distortion. Prednisone was started but the symptoms recurred with taper; steroids were resumed and infliximab (IFX) 5 mg/kg was infused. After improvement, oral pain and weight loss returned. A G tube was placed. Mercaptopurine was started at 1.5 mg/kg per day. IFX was increased to 10 mg/kg. Debridement of the oral ulcers and a skin graft to the lips was performed. Pathology from oral and facial lesions was consistent with granulation tissue and fibrosis with chronic inflammation. She was readmitted several months later for weight loss and dehydration. Abdominal pain, distension, and feculent drainage developed around the G tube. Repeat computed tomography (CT) scan demonstrated pneumatosis. Laparotomy revealed purulent drainage from a perforated segment of sigmoid colon. Histology was consistent with perforated CD. Despite ventilatory and hemodynamic support and broad-spectrum antibiotics, the patient died 1 week later. Our case highlights the difficulty in diagnosing and managing orofacial CD. In this case, medical treatment was initiated based on a high index of suspicion. CD was only confirmed after intestinal resection very late in the disease course. Treatment of orofacial CD includes topical or systemic steroids, immunomodulators, and anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapies. As our case demonstrated, patients can be refractory to therapy.