Clinical characteristics of Iranian pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Background : Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of disorders, including Crohn's disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC) and indeterminate colitis (IC). Small intestine and colon are prima- rily affected in this group of disorders. Purpose : This single center study was performed to define demographic features and clinical characteristics of Iranian pediatric patients with IBD. Method : Fifty nine patients with IBD, who have been referred to Children's Medical Center Hospital during a 10-year period, were investigated in this study. The data was gathered by interviewing the patients and their families, as well as reviewing their medical records. Results : Among 59 patients with IBD, 23 cases had UC and 19 cases had CD, while the remaining 17 cases had IC. Patients with UC were significantly younger at the time of diagnosis in com- parison with patients with CD. The most common symptoms were abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever and growth failure. Hepatobiliary abnormalities and arthritis were common extra intestinal manifes- tations. The median Pediatric Crohn's Disease Activity Index was 42.5 (range 20-60), whereas the median Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index was 40 (range 20-70). Seven of 23 UC (30.4%) had proctatis, while 16 (69.6%) had extensive colitis. In CD, 11 of 19 (57.9%) had involvement of terminal ileum and colon, while inflammation was limited to the colon in 8 cases (42.1%). The colonoscopic findings in the IC group were heterogeneous. Conclusion : This study provides epidemiological data on pedi- atric patients with IBD, which could be useful for health care workers in prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment of early onset IBD. (Acta gastroenterol. belg., 2009, 72, 230-234