Anal complications in Crohn's disease.

Anal fissures, fistulas, and abscesses occurred as complications in 22 per cent of our population of 1,098 patients with Crohn's disease. Crohn's colitis was much more frequently associated with an anal lesion than Crohn's disease of the small bowel (52 per cent vs. 14 per cent). When an anal lesion is the manifesting sign, Crohn's disease will soon develop elsewhere in the intestine. Since these lesions frequently herald the onset of intestinal Crohn's disease, the physician must always be aware of the possibility of inflammatory bowel disease when dealing with suspicious anal lesions.