Pattern of relapses in Iranian patients with ulcerative colitis. A prospective study.
BACKGROUND
The pattern of relapses in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) has a significant role in taking decisions about the therapy and the follow up of patients. This study is designed to find out the pattern, time and severity of relapses in Iranian patients with UC.


METHODS
From 1991 to 2003, a period of 13 years, the pattern of relapses in 163 patients with UC who had been admitted to a private referral gastroenterology clinic in Iran were evaluated.


RESULTS
163 patients (58.3% female, 41.7% male) were included, aged from 17 to 74 years with mean age of 38.9 ± 12.3 years. Mean follow up time was 52.7 ± 41.4 months (ranges 12 and 155 months). Mean relapse chance was 0.028 ± 0.036 for each patient in every month (ranges 0-0.21). The mean time from the initial attack to the first relapse was 23.8 ± 22.5 months, which was not the same in patients with different primary disease severity (p = 0.03).


CONCLUSIONS
The time and severity of the relapses relate to the severity of UC. Iranian patients have a milder course of the disease.
Daryani
Nasser Ebrahimi
NE
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. nebrahim@sina.tums.ac.ir
Bashashati
Mohammad
M
Aram
Setareh
S
Hashtroudi
Ali Asad
AA
Shakiba
Madjid
M
Sayyah
Alireza
A
Nayer-Habibi
Atoosa
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D044466:Asian People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents