Crohn's Disease in the Elderly: Prolonged Delay In Diagnosis

Crohn’s disease typically afflicts younger patients, with a peak incidence in the third decade of life. As Crolin’s disease infrequently presents in the elderly, the nature and course of tlie disease among older patients has not been well defined. The presenting symptoms of abdominal pain, fever, and diarrhea so commonly seen with Crohn’s disease may suggest other more frequently encountered illnesses in the elderly such as diverticulitis, ischemic colitis, or malignancy.2 One easily can see that attributing these complaints to these more common disorders or a failure to consider tlie diagnosis of Crohn’s disease can lead to delay in diagnosis and appropriate therapy in tlie elderly. In reviewing the experience with Crohn’s disease presenting in elderly patients at the University of Michigan, the authors hope to determine clinical characteristics of the disease in these patients and to assess the degree to which specific diagnosis or appropriate therapy was delayed after presentation with symptoms.