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Case Reports: Unusual association of diseases/symptoms
Oculomotor nerve palsy as an extraintestinal manifestation of Crohn’s disease
  1. Marianna Papadopoulou1,2,
  2. Sofia Tzortsou2,
  3. Ioanna Chatzi2 and
  4. Christos Baltogiannis2
  1. 1Department of Physiotherapy, University of West Attica, Egaleo, Greece
  2. 2Department of Neurology, Hygeias Melathron, Athens, Greece
  1. Correspondence to Dr Marianna Papadopoulou; marpapgr{at}yahoo.co.uk

Abstract

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may present with extraintestinal manifestations. Neurological symptoms associated with IBD are infrequent. Thus, any unexplained neurological symptom that occurs in patients with IBD should raise the suspicion of a link between the two disorders. We report a case of a man in his 60s, who was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and developed ptosis and diplopia. Neurological examination revealed oculomotor nerve palsy, sparing the pupil. MRI and magnetic resonance angiography of the brain were insignificant and no other cause was determined. He was treated with oral corticosteroids and symptoms gradually subsided. Cranial nerve palsies associated with IBD have been rarely reported. They usually involve the optic and acoustic nerve and are attributed to a common dysimmune base. This is the first reported case of oculomotor nerve palsy (III cranial nerve) associated with IBD. Clinicians treating patients with IBD should be alert for unusual neurological complications and treat them appropriately.

  • Cranial nerves
  • Crohn's disease

http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2022-254456

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors MP—drafting/revision of the manuscript for content, including medical writing for content. ST and IC—acquisition of data. CB—revision of the manuscript for content.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.