Review of chronic ulcerative colitis cases at King Hussein Medical Centre, Jordan.
Chronic ulcerative colitis is being encountered with increasing frequency in developing countries. In Amman, Jordan, the records of 372 patients with chronic ulcerative colitis diagnosed between 1994 and 2001 were reviewed. Bloody diarrhoea and crampy abdominal pain were the most common presenting symptoms (84% of patients). The mean age at onset was 31.8 years. In two thirds of patients the diagnosis was made more than 1 year after the onset of symptoms. The pattern of the disease differed from that in industrialized countries in the mild course of the disease, the absence of skin manifestations, and the rarity of colorectal cancer in our patients. The mortality rate was 6%.
Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, King Hussein Medical Centre, Royal Medical Services, Amman, Jordan. ghazjo@yahoo.co.uk
I
I
Ghazzawi
Z
Z
Al-Mrayat
D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology; D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D002423:Cause of Death; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D003113:Colonoscopy; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D003906:Developing Countries; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007597:Jordan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution