title: Pattern of relapses in Iranian patients with ulcerative colitis. A prospective study.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. nebrahim@sina.tums.ac.ir
authors.forename: Nasser Ebrahimi
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Daryani
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bashashati
authors.forename: Setareh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aram
authors.forename: Ali Asad
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Hashtroudi
authors.forename: Madjid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shakiba
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sayyah
authors.forename: Atoosa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nayer-Habibi
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents