INFLAMMATORY BOWEL-DISEASE .2.

Complications Both ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are associated with a wide variety of complications, encompassing secondary effects of the inflammatory process in the gastrointestinal tract and associated extraintestinal manifestations.113 114 115 One particularly dangerous complication is toxic megacolon, which may result from ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, or any severe inflammatory process of the large intestine. In addition, Crohn's disease is often accompanied by the formation of fistulas, leading to a number of pathologic connections between different sites in the gastrointestinal tract. Fistulas can develop between the bowel and other sites, including the bladder, vagina, urethra, prostate, and skin. Perineal fistulas, some. © 1991, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.