Exploring the Cutaneous Associations of Crohn's Disease: A Retrospective Study of 108 Patients

ABSTRACT Background The integumentary system provides a window into the overall health of individuals and may display cutaneous manifestations of systemic disease. Crohn's Disease (CD) is a relapsing inflammatory bowel disease that exhibits a significant symptomatic burden on a global scale. Although CD is commonly linked with gastrointestinal associations such as intestinal obstruction, fistulas, abscesses and ulcers, it also has an array of dermatologic manifestations. Objectives To our knowledge, the prevalence of these associations in isolation or combination is not readily described in literature. Our objective was to describe which, if any associations existed. Methods We performed a retrospective chart review of patients diagnosed with CD seen by Wake Forest Baptist Dermatology between 2010 and 2024. χ 2 and two‐tailed t ‐tests compared categorical and continuous variables, respectively ( p < 0.05). Results One hundred and eight patients with CD were identified. The majority of patients (54.6%) were women, and 80.6% were White. A majority (62/108; 57.4%) of CD patients had at least one associated diagnosis. Conclusions Taken together, we propose a five‐tiered grouping system to describe the dermatologic associations with CD. Treatments for these conditions should involve multi‐disciplinary input, encouraging collaboration between dermatologic and gastroenterology specialists.