Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory condition that mainly affects the digestive tract; however, it possesses extra-intestinal manifestations. We present a case of a 19-year-old male with a history of nonspecific gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea who underwent a colonoscopy with a biopsy due to worsening GI symptoms. The colonoscopy was inconclusive for GI pathology. Three months later, he developed several symptoms, which were later indicative of leukocytoclastic vasculitis and myositis as extra-intestinal manifestations of Crohn's disease. The patient was started on high-dose prednisolone, which improved his symptoms remarkably, and the steroid dose was tapered gradually. He was subsequently followed up by the Rheumatology and Gastroenterology outpatient departments. The case reinforces the need for physicians to have a high index of suspicion in patients with non-specific GI symptoms presenting with new-onset cutaneous manifestations and myositis.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can affect the auditory system either as a direct complication of the disease course or secondary to medication adverse effects. Rheumatoid arthritis-induced autoimmune inner ear disease can present as tinnitus, conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), or mixed. According to previously published articles, SNHL is the most common hearing loss in RA. Age, smoking, noise exposure, and alcohol may affect the disease progression. Here, we present a case of a 79-year-old female who presented to the rheumatology clinic with complaints of abrupt onset bilateral hearing loss with associated tinnitus; pure tone audiometry confirmed sensorineural hearing loss. Her tinnitus resolved completely, and her hearing improved significantly after treatment with steroids and leflunomide. Based on this case and previous literature, we conclude that rheumatoid arthritis is the cause of SNHL in our patient. Appropriate and timely medical interventions have been reported to improve the prognosis of hearing impairment in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Our case highlights the need to have a high index of suspicion of rheumatoid arthritis-induced autoimmune inner ear disease in an elderly patient presenting with sudden-onset hearing impairment and the importance of prompt referral to a rheumatologist.
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