OBJECTIVETo discuss the clinical features of perianal Crohn disease (PCD).

METHODSClinical data of 52 PCD patients who were treated at the Department of Colorectal Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine from June 2011 to October 2014 were analyzed retrospectively. Montreal classification, clinical symptoms, the subtype of perianal lesions, history of perianal surgery and medical treatment, disease active indexes, serum inflammation markers and nutritional indexes were included.

RESULTSAmong 52 patients, there were 40 males and 12 females with a mean age of (27.9±9.1) years. According to Montreal classification, 51.9%(27/52) of patients had ileocolic involvement and 75.0%(39/52) had inflammatory disease behavior. Thirteen (25.0%) and 15(28.8%) patients had abdominal pain and diarrhea respectively at admission. With respect to the subtype of perianal lesions, there were 32(61.5%) cases of anal fistula and 16(30.8%) cases of perianal abscess. Thirty-nine(75.0%) and 33(63.5%) patients had a history of perianal surgery and medical treatment before admission resepectively. Laboratory findings revealed high C-reaction protein level in 63.5%(33/52), high erythrocyte sedimentation rate in 61.5%(32/52), elevated platelet in 32.7%(17/52), low body weight in 44.2%(23/52), low albumin in 26.9%(14/52) and anemia in 42.3%(22/52) of patients.

CONCLUSIONSThe clinical features of PCD patients include male predominant, early onset disease, high prevalence of ileocolic involvement and inflammation disease behavior. Features prompting underlying PCD diagnosis include characteristic gastrointestinal symptoms, requiring multiple perianal surgery, and abnormality of inflammation markers and nutritional indexes.