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Nasal ulcers

Hi -
My son has had CD for over 3 years now (he's 9). Everything seems to be going well and his test results are all great, including his Humira level. He keeps getting nasal sores that bleed, and he's very congested. His dr is starting to think he has nasal crohns, which is rare? She wants us to see his pediatrician to get her opinion and possibly rule out autoimmune causes. Our GI dr says it's very hard to treat, even if everything else is going well with Crohns treatment.
I'd like to hear about anyone else with this and what they did to diagnose and treat these nasal ulcers. Would a nasal biopsy help? Who would even do this? An ENT or Dermatologist?
TIA!
Shannon
 

my little penguin

Moderator
Staff member
I woukd see ENT
The nose is their specialty
They can easily tell you what is going on
And how to try to treat it

I wouldn’t think autoimmune would be the peds area of expertise
Ent /rheumatologist/GI all deal with autoimmune

Good luck
 

crohnsinct

Well-known member
Agree with MLP. I had nasal ulcers/sores also and I don'y have Crohn's. It was on and off for years. TBH I forget what they said it was but it wasn't Crohn's and eventually they cleared up. Sorry I don't have more info. I hope it isn't nasal Crohn's.
 

Maya142

Moderator
Staff member
Nasal ulcers can be a sign of other autoimmune diseases besides Crohn's. It is one of the questions my daughter's rheumatologist asks her every time we see her - I'm not actually sure which disease it is associated with though!! My guess would be SLE (Lupus) since my daughter has had drug induced Lupus.

I would think an ENT would be the person to go to and possibly a rheumatologist.
 

Lady Organic

Moderator
Staff member
I'd go to the ENT dr as well to start this investigation. Along with congestion, Im thinking it could even be allergies. Hope they find a solution soon as this most be quite uncomfortable.
 
Thank you everyone for the input. We did see the pediatric ENT today, and he's been in practice for 40 years and has never seen nasal Crohns. He said that even if it was, we'd still just be treating the symptoms. So we are doing bactroban ointment. He doesn't think it's due to any sort of autoimmune issues. So, I guess if it is Crohns related, it'll be an ongoing issue, so hopefully the Bactroban will keep it at bay.
 

Maya142

Moderator
Staff member
Glad he got in! I guess that does make sense - if his Crohn's is controlled everywhere else, would you change treatment for the nasal ulcers??

I did look it up and it is Lupus (SLE) that is associated with nasal ulcers. I couldn't find an association with drug-induced Lupus though and drug-induced Lupus is less common with Humira than with Remicade, I believe (though still possible with Humira, of course).

So I guess if he has other symptoms of Lupus (joint pain, butterfly rash) then it is worth seeing a rheumatologist.
 
I see a rheumatologist for RA and MCTD. I'm going to ask him about the lupus/nasal ulcer combo. Good advice to watch for the rash/joint pain and get him tested if any of the symptoms pop up. I really love this forum for when I'm freaking out about things!! Thank you all!
 

Lisa

Adminstrator
Staff member
Location
New York, USA
I occasionally get nasal ulcers, they are basically cold sores in my nose instead of on my mouth.....in the past I've had stomatitis, sores all over my mouth....maybe it is something like that but affecting the nasal mucous membranes.
 
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