Management of Pelvic Pain in Patients with Crohn’s Disease—Current Overview

Abstract

Crohn’s disease (CD) is a subtype of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) with characteristic skip lesions and transmural inflammation that may affect the entire gastrointestinal tract from the mouth to the anus. Persistent pain is one of the main symptoms of CD. This pain has multifactorial pathogenesis, but most often arises from intestinal inflammation itself, as well as from gut distention or partial intestinal obstruction. Some current evidence also suggests sensitization of sensory pathways, as well as modulation of those signals by the central nervous system, which highlights the impact of biopsychosocial factors. To date, most studies have focused only on the pain located in the abdomen, while pelvic pain has rarely been explored, despite it being a common symptom. The aim of this study is to provide an abbreviated summary of the current state of knowledge on the origins and treatment of pelvic pain in CD.