Fig. 1
Representative endoscopic images of Crohn’s disease
Fig. 2
Representative endoscopic images of Crohn’s disease
Fig. 3
Endoscopic images of Yersinia enterocolitica infection
Fig. 4
Endoscopic images of Yersinia enterocolitica infection
Table 1
Differential diagnosis of Yersinia enterocolitica and Crohn’s disease
| Yersinia enterocolitica | Crohn’s disease | |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical symptoms | Fever (+++) Abdominal pain (++) Diarrhea (++/+++) Weight loss (−) | Abdominal pain (+++) Diarrhea (++) Weight loss (++) Fever (+) |
| Cause | Infectious | Multifactorial: genetic, environmental, immune |
| Course | Acute or subacute (few days/weeks) | Lifelong with periods of aggravation and/or remissions |
| Location | Terminal ileum, appendix, rarely colon | Terminal ileum, colon, whole gastrointestinal tract |
| Extraintestinal involvement | Lymph nodes, liver, spleen, joints, skin, cerebrospinal fluid | Liver, joints, skin, eyes |
| Endoscopy | Round or oval mucosal elevations, small ulcers | Serpiginous and longitudinal ulcers forming a cobblestone pattern, fistula, perianal lesions, intestinal stricture |
| Histopathology | Nonspecific infiltration with dominance of mononuclear cells | Multiple granulomas with abscesses present in bowel wall and follicles |
| Treatment | Antibiotics | Steroid/immunosuppressive |