Characteristics and trends in incidence of inflammatory bowel disease in Taiwanese children
Journal
Journal of the Formosan Medical Association
Journal Volume
103
Journal Issue
9
Pages
685-691
Date Issued
2004
Author(s)
Abstract
Background and Purpose: Although chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is rare in Asian children, increasing numbers of pediatric patients with chronic IBD worldwide have been noted in recent years. This study was conducted to delineate the trend in incidence and clinical patterns of childhood IBD in Taiwan. Methods: All children admitted to National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) between 1979 and 2000 who met the criteria for IBD, Crohn's disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC), probable CD (PCD), or indeterminate colitis were included. The clinical features and outcomes were analyzed retrospectively. Incidence was calculated using cases of chronic diarrhea during the same period of time as the risk population. Results: IBD was diagnosed in 17 children (9 females and 8 males, aged 2 months to 18 years) during the study period. Six (35%) of these children had UC, 9 (53%) had CD, and 2 (12%) had PCD. The cumulative incidence of CD during 1979-1995 was 0.85%, and increased to 2.6% during 1996-2000 (p < 0.001), while the incidence of UC did not change significantly between these periods (from 0.85% to 0.99%, p = 0.16). The median interval from onset to diagnosis was 7.7 months. Eighty percent of patients had moderate to severe disease activity at diagnosis. The follow-up duration ranged from less than 1 year to 20 years, with a mean of 4.3 years. Two patients were lost to follow-up. Eighty six percent of patients responded to treatment, and 80% of patients had inactive to mild disease activity when re-evaluated at the end of 2000. Conclusion: There has been a marked recent increase in the incidence of childhood CD in Taiwan but the rate of childhood UC has remained unchanged. Eighty percent of cases of childhood IBD responded well to treatment.
SDGs
Other Subjects
adolescent; article; child; clinical article; clinical feature; controlled study; Crohn disease; disease classification; disease severity; enteritis; female; follow up; human; incidence; infant; male; retrospective study; risk assessment; statistical analysis; statistical significance; Taiwan; ulcerative colitis; enteritis; preschool child; Taiwan; university hospital; Adolescent; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Hospitals, University; Humans; Incidence; Infant; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases; Male; Retrospective Studies; Taiwan
Type
journal article