A case report of Peutz-Jeghers syndrome in a child with Crohn's disease.

Abstract

Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by hamartomatous polyps and mucocutaneous hyperpigmented freckles, whereas Crohn's disease (CD) is a condition characterized by chronic intestinal inflammation. Here, we present a rare case report of an 11-year-old male who presented with both CD and PJS. To our knowledge, this is only the fifth case report describing both of these diseases in the same patient. While CD is relatively common in industrialized countries, having CD in conjunction with PJS is exceedingly rare. This paucity of data describing the coexistence of the two conditions in the same patient has led to a general lack of guidance and screening recommendations in patients with both of these diseases. It is known that each disorder alone increases a patient's risk of malignancy; however, more data are needed to determine the appropriate cancer screening algorithm for patients with these dual diagnoses as well as management approaches.