Severe pulmonary disease in association with Crohn's disease in a 13-year-old girl

Pulmonary manifestations of Crohn's disease are infrequent in adults and ev en less common in children. Our literature search found only a few cases of Crohn's disease causing pulmonary manifestations in children. We report on the case of a 13-year-old girl in whom severe pulmonary disease was found four years after the onset of Crohn's disease. Open lung biopsy uncovered b ronchiolitis obliterans and granulomatous lung disease. Aggressive treatmen t has yielded gradual improvement. This case emphasizes the importance of r ecognizing the association, the differential diagnosis, and treatment impli cations. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2000; 29:151-154, (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.