Unique presentation of Crohn's disease during treatment of Hodgkin's disease

Although Hodgkin's disease and Crohn's disease are associated with abnormalities in cell-mediated immunity, their co-existence in an individual patient is uncommon. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the clinical presentation of Crohn's disease during treatment for Hodgkin's disease. The basic immunologic mechanisms underlying these two pathologic states as well as chemotherapy-related effects are postulated as potential etiologic mechanisms for the codevelopment of these diseases. A brief review of the literature and basic immunologic defects associated with Crohn's disease and Hodgkin's disease are presented.