Compare and contrast the principal clinical features of CUC and Crohn’s disease.
June 5th, 2011 | 
Author: The severity, clinical course, and prognosis of CUC and Crohn’s disease are widely variable. Onset in both diseases occurs most often in early adulthood. The symptoms of CUC may range from slight rectal bleeding to fulminant diarrhea with colonic hemorrhage and hypotension. Most patients have intermittent attacks, although some can have continuous symptoms without remission. The clinical features of Crohn’s disease depend on the severity and location of the bowel involvement; the principal features are diarrhea, abdominal pain, hematochezia, intestinal obstruction, fissures, and fistulas. Extraintestinal manifestations are common in both Crohn’s disease and CUC, but more common in CUC. The manifestations include arthritis, arthralgia, iritis, uveitis, liver disease, and skin lesions. The arthritis may present as a migratory arthritis, involving large joints, sacroiliitis, or ankylosing spondylitis. Primary sclerosing cholangitis, which is associated with an increased frequency of cholangiocarcinoma, and chronic hepatitis are common hepatobiliary abnormalities.