Abstract

CROHN’S DISEASE AND PREGNANCY- A RARE COEXISTENCE

Dr. Sonal Bhuyar*

Abstract

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is the name for conditions that cause inflammation and ulceration of the digestive tract, including Crohn’s disease (CD) and Ulcerative colitis (UC). The incidence of CD in Asia is approximately 0.5 cases per 1, 00,000 persons1, which is much lower than that in the west. But the gap is bridging over the last two decades, probably due to the westernization of life styles and environmental factors. The coexistence of CD with pregnancy is rare. This disease affects women during their child- bearing years, with the peak age of onset between 15-30 years2. It has a slight female predisposition with female- to male ratio being 1.2:1[1] The severity and extent of the disease at the time of conception appears to influence the course of disease during pregnancy. They have a higher rate of adverse outcomes and should be followed as high risk pregnancy with close monitoring and counseling. In this case, the importance of preconceptional control of disease and continuation of medical treatment in a patient of CD with pregnancy to optimize her clinical course and neonatal outcome is highlighted.

Keywords: Crohn’s disease, pregnancy, successful outcome.