Pitfall in diagnosis of Crohn's disease in a cystic fibrosis patient

Cystic fibrosis (CF) and Crohn's disease may both present as failure to thrive and recurrent intestinal obstruction. Proper treatment and adequate nutrition may reverse these manifestations and improve the patient's quality of life. We describe a girl with CF who, despite appropriate management, failed to grow and had several episodes of bowel obstruction. After the additional diagnosis of Crohn's disease was reached, the patient improved on antiinflammatory and nutritional therapy. This patient illustrates the pitfall in the diagnosis of Crohn's disease in a CF patient due to the clinical overlap between the two conditions. We suggest that therapeutic failure in a chronic disease justifies additional diagnostic efforts resulting in a completion of diagnosis and significant changes in management.