Abbreviations

CD

Crohn’s disease

GI

gastrointestinal

IBD

inflammatory bowel disease

ICV

ileocecal valve

ITB

intestinal tuberculosis

PSC

primary sclerosing cholangitis

UC

ulcerative colitis

Introduction

Crohn’s disease (CD), by location, can involve any part of gastrointestinal (GI) tract, from the mouth to anus. CD can also involve the GI tract with different depths. Therefore several classifications have been proposed to categorize CD. The Montreal classification was proposed to categorize CD, on the basis of the age of onset, disease location, and disease phenotype ( Table 4.1 ), which was modified from earlier Vienna classification . The classifications were recently further expanded by the incorporation of age groups, disease locations, and etiopathogenetic factors ( Table 4.2 ).

Table 4.1
The Montreal classification of Crohn’s disease .
Age at diagnosis (A)
A1 16 years or younger
A2 17–40 years
A3 over 40 years
Location (L) Upper GI modifier (L4)
L1 terminal ileum L1+L4 Terminal ileum +upper GI
L2 colon L2+L4 Colon+upper GI
L3 ileocolon L3+L4 Ileocolon+upper GI
L4 upper GI
Behavior (B) Perianal disease modifier (p)
B1 nonstricturing, nonpenetrating B1p Nonstricturing, nonpenetrating+perianal
B2 stricturing B2p Stricturing+perianal
B3 penetrating B3p Penetrating+perianal
A , Age; B , behavior; GI , gastrointestinal; L , location.

Table 4.2
Proposed classification of inflammatory bowel diseases.
Criteria Class Description Examples
Disease location, extent and depth ± granulomas Ulcerative colitis Classic UC
Crohn’s disease Classic CD
Indeterminate colitis
Age of onset Very early onset Age 0 IL-10/ILR mutations
Early onset Age 0–10 years
Age 10–17 years
Regular onset Age 17–40 years
Late onset Age >50 years
Phenotype Inflammatory Inflammatory CD; classic UC
Stricturing Stricturing CD; UC with stricture
Penetrating Fistulizing CD
Locations Oral
Upper GI
Jejunum
Ileum
Colon
Rectum
Perianal
Extraintestinal Metastatic CD of the skin, lung, and liver
Concurrent or immune-mediated disorders IBD Isolated UC or CD of the gut
IBD-V IBD + IBD+classic extraintestinal manifestations UC with concurrent PSC
IBD ++ IBD+autoimmune and/or autoinflammatory disorders±classic extraintestinal manifestations IBD with concurrent microscopic colitis, celiac disease, hidradenitis suppurativa
IBD +/− Diseases sharing clinical features and possible etiopathogenetic pathways with classic IBD ± classic extraintestinal manifestations of IBD, autoimmune disorders or autoinflammatory disorders Lymphocytic colitis, collagenous colitis; Behcet disease, cryptogenic multifocal ulcerous stenosing enteritis, ulcerative jejunitis
Etiology of IBD Primary or idiopathic Monogenic IL-10, IL-10Ra, IL-10Rb mutations
Very early–onset IBD
Polygenic Classic UC; classic CD
Secondary Identifiable pathogens Mycobacterial paratuberculosis
Medication-induced Mycophenolate-associated colitis; ipilimumab-associated colitis
Organ transplantation-induced Post–solid organ transplant IBD-like conditions, cord colitis syndrome
Surgery induced Pouchitis, Crohn’s disease–like conditions of the pouch, post–colectomy enteritis, bariatric surgery–associated IBD
Genetic etiology Monogenic IL-10/IL-R mutations, familial Mediterranean fever
Polygenic Classic CD and classic UC
Disease spread process Intrinsic (inside-out) Starting from the lymphatic system or mesentery, spreading to gut mucosa Subset of obese CD patients; subset of sclerosing mesenteritis or lymphangitis
Extrinsic (outside-in) External trigger (e.g., bacteria) leading to mucosal inflammation Fulminant UC: from mucosal disease to transmural inflammation
CD , Crohn’s disease; IBD , inflammatory bowel disease; IBD-V , IBD-variant; PSC , primary sclerosing cholangitis; UC , ulcerative colitis.

This chapter is focused on inflammatory phenotype of CD. Fibrostenotic ( Chapter 5 : Crohn’s disease: fibrostenotic type), fistulizing ( Chapter 6 : Crohn’s disease: penetrating type), and perianal ( Chapter 7 : Crohn’s disease-perianal) phenotypes are discussed in separate chapters.

Esophagogastroduodenoscopy and ileocolonoscopy play a key role in the evaluation, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, disease monitoring, and assessment of treatment response of CD ( Table 4.2 ).

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