Background: Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic transmural inflammation and could be misdiagnosed as appendicitis, infectious enterocolitis, Meckel's diverticulitis, or mesenteric adenitis. The aim of this presentation was to improve the diagnostic tools of CD.
Case presentation: A 22-year-old girl presented to a private hospital due to severe progressive right lower quadrant abdominal pain associated with fever and leukocytosis. She was diagnosed as acute appendicitis. Appendectomy was done, but the patient was not improved. Further medical advice was sought in emergency room in Al-Noor-Specialist Hospital after 2 weeks. Histopathological examinations of the appendix raised the possibility of inflammatory bowel disease. Full history, complete physical examinations, advanced lab tests, imaging, and good response to treatment confirmed the diagnosis of Crohn's disease.
Conclusion: Physicians must consider differential diagnosis by taking a good history, performing a well-focused physical examination, and order specific investigations to confirm the diagnosis.
Key words: Crohns disease, appendicitis, abdominal pain, misdiagnosis.
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