Sensorineural hearing loss as an extra-intestinal manifestation of ulcerative colitis in an adolescent girl with pyoderma gangrenosum

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease is becoming increasingly frequent in children of all ages. In addition to the usual gastrointestinal stigmata of weight loss, anaemia, and rectal bleeding, children may exhibit prominent extra-intestinal manifestations such as joint symptoms, skin signs and some other auto-immune manifestations. Here we present a 15-year-old girl with ulcerative colitis in whom pyoderma gangrenosum and acute sensorineural hearing loss developed. Conclusion: although pyoderma gangrenosum is well described with inflammatory bowel disease, sensorineural hearing loss a is very unusual finding, possibly of auto-immune aetiology. We recommend steroid or immunosuppressive therapy in such a patient.