Crohn's disease of the duodenum.

Seven cases of Crohn's disease of the duodenum are presented. They made up 2% of 350 cases of Crohn's disease seen over a period of 15 years. Mean age at onset of Crohn's disease was 22 years (range, 13--47). All patients had other, and most patients severe, lesions elsewhere in the alimentary tract. In three patients the duodenal lesion appeared simultaneously with or within a year of lesions elsewhere, in four cases not until 4 to 15 years later. The period of observation after detection of regional duodenitis was 2 to 14 years; mean, 8 years. The commonest complaint due to duodenitis was epigastric pain. It was present in everyone. Gastrointestinal bleeding rarely occurred. Complicating pancreatitis was not seen. Pathophysiologic abnormalities (decreased vitamin B12 and iron absorption, abnormal protein loss) depended more on the extraduodenal extension of Crohn's disease than on the duodenal lesion. In three patients duodenal obstruction required a bypass operation (gastrojejunostomy or duodenojejunostomy). The same three patients and three other of the series were subjected to other surgical treatment, including ileal resection and, in four cases, subtotal colectomy. Two patients died, one of pneumonia in his home and one in her home town of, probably, acute gastroenteritis complicating a severe short-bowel syndrome. The prognosis in this series seemed to be worse than in Crohn's disease in general, not because of the duodenal lesion but because of its association with severe lesions elsewhere in the gastrointestinal tract.