Tracheo-bronchitis as a complication of Crohn's disease--a case report

A case of Crohn's enterocolitis associated with diffuse tracheo-bronchitis is presented herein. Although respiratory tract involvement in Crohn's disease is extremely rare, our review of the world literature revealed several common clinical pathologic features. These features include a productive cough with chest X-ray films which are normal except for some peripheral involvement. Bronchoscopy, however, shows diffuse inflammation of the trachea and bronchi with widely scattered whitish lesions while biopsy reveals a granulomatous infiltration of inflammatory cells. This tracheobronchitis typically responds well to treatment with prednisone.