Step 1: Understanding Crohn’s Disease.
Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anusIt is characterized by transmural inflammation and discontinuous involvement of bowel segments
Step 2: Understanding Ulcerative Colitis.
Ulcerative colitis is limited to the colon and rectumIt involves continuous inflammation starting from the rectum and extending proximallyThe inflammation is typically superficial and limited to mucosa and submucosa
Step 3: Key Differentiating Feature.
Crohn’s disease shows skip lesions — areas of diseased bowel separated by normal segmentsUlcerative colitis does not show skip lesions and has continuous involvement
Step 4: Analysis of Options.
(A) Both conditions may involve the colon
(B) This describes ulcerative colitis
(C) Superficial mucosal inflammation is typical of ulcerative colitis
(D) Skip lesions are characteristic of Crohn’s disease
Step 5: Conclusion.
Therefore, the presence of skip lesions differentiates Crohn’s disease from ulcerative colitis