Dermatological changes associated with non-specific inflammatory bowel diseases – Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis

Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are the most common representatives of non-specific inflammatory bowel diseases. It is a group of chronic diseases of multifactorial and not fully understood aetiology. The characteristic gastro-intestinal symptoms may be accompanied by numerous extraintestinal manifestations. Skin lesions are observed in more than half of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases. Their appearance sometimes precedes development of typical abdominal symptoms. Therefore, the awareness of skin manifestations occurring in the course of inflammatory bowel diseases may contribute to early diagnosis and implementation of therapy.