Presymptomatic Crohn's Disease in a Young Patient Diagnosed Just After the Onset of Idiopathic Acute Pancreatitis

Abstract

Acute pancreatitis is an extraintestinal manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease. There have been few reports describing acute pancreatitis preceding a diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease. We herein report a rare case of a 16-year-old boy with presymptomatic Crohn's disease that was newly diagnosed just after the onset of idiopathic acute pancreatitis. Crohn's disease of any stage, much less in the presymptomatic stage, is rarely diagnosed just after the development of acute pancreatitis. The present case suggests that acute pancreatitis without an apparent cause in young or pediatric population can precede a diagnosis of presymptomatic Crohn's disease.