Newer aspects of inflammatory bowel disease and its cutaneous manifestations: a selective review

Idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) denotes several types of gastrointestinal disorders characterized by protracted inflammation of the large or small bowel, and a tendency toward relapse or recurrence. The two major groups of IBD are identified as chronic nonspecific ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). Extraintestinal manifestations of IBD are diverse and may antedate, occur with, or postdate the onset of the disease process itself. Cutaneous diseases such as erythema nodosum or pyoderma gangrenosum are not infrequent, and test the clinician's ability to recognize the underlying bowel pathology and institute appropriate treatment. This selective review will address the immunological pathogenesis of IBD, new or rarely reported skin markers in IBD, drug therapy and side effects, zinc deficiency, management of osteotomy patients, and cutaneous cancer complicating IBD. Although the prognosis of IBD has improved, the role of the dermatologist as a consultant remains invaluable in reducing the attendant cutaneous morbidity.