IBD is a systemic inflammatory disease and can affect other than gastrointestinal tract organs. It is considered that up to 47% of patients with IBD have at least one extra-intestinal manifestation, that may include dermatological (e.g. pyoderma gangrenosum, erythema nodosum), ocular (e.g. uveitis, conjunctivitis), rheumatological (e.g. spondyloarthropathy, arthralgia) or hepatic disorders (e.g. primary sclerosing cholangitis) [12].
These clinical symptoms are not specific, require a broad differential diagnosis, and years ago, when computerized tomography (CT) was not a routine examination, CD was frequently diagnosed at the time of laparotomy for presumed appendicitis. Now, to establish the correct diagnosis they have to be endorsed by endoscopic and radiological findings.