Dermatologic manifestations in pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract Background Despite studies of dermatologic manifestations in adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), little is known about the prevalence of IBD‐associated skin lesions and their correlation with IBD severity in children. We aimed to address these knowledge gaps in our single‐center cohort of children with IBD. Methods Retrospective chart review of 528 children and adolescents (≤18 years old) with IBD and seen at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN) between 1999 and 2017 was conducted. The Chi‐Square/Fischer's exact test (with p ≤ .05 to signify statistical significance) was applied to compare categorical outcomes between Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) patients. Results In total, 425 IBD patients (64.9% CD, 53% males) and ≥1 dermatologic diagnosis were included. Presence of ≥1 cutaneous infection was recorded in 42.8% of participants. Acne was the most common non‐infectious dermatologic condition (30.8%), followed by eczema (15.8%) and perianal skin tags (14.6%). Angular cheilitis ( p = .024), keratosis pilaris (KP, p = .003), and perianal skin complications (i.e., skin tags, fistula, and abscesses; all p < .001) were more frequently diagnosed among children with CD, while fungal skin infections ( p = .017) were more frequently diagnosed in UC patients. Severity of IBD correlated with higher prevalence of perianal fistula ( p = .003), perianal abscess ( p = .041), psoriasis ( p < .001), and pyoderma gangrenosum (PG, p = .003). Conclusions Both IBD‐specific and IBD‐nonspecific dermatologic conditions are very prevalent in childhood IBD, the most common being infectious. Children with CD are more likely to experience angular cheilitis, KP, and perianal skin findings than those with UC. Perianal disease, psoriasis, and PG are associated with more severe IBD.