[Crohn's disease: influence of age at diagnosis on clinical type of disease].
The aim of the study was to examine the influence of age at diagnosis of Crohn's disease on disease site and course in Tunisian patients.


METHODS
All hospital patients for Crohn's disease between 1993 and 2002 were included. They were segregated by age at diagnosis as follows: younger than 20 years, 20-39 years, and 40 years or older. And all patients were classified at the time of the latest visit into one of three subtypes of disease (non complicating, stricturing, and fistulizing) according Vienna's classification. Crohn's disease was devised also by site (ileum, ileocecal, colon and higher site).


RESULTS
Sixty one patients (50.4%) were 20-39 years old and 43 patients (35.5%) were 40 years and older. Colonic involvement was significantly more common (46,5%) in the 40 years and older group compared with 20-39 years group (24.6%) (p = 0.01). The subtype without complication was significantly more common (58.1%) in the 40 years and older group compared with 20-39 years group (39.3%) (p = 0.05). The frequency of the need for surgery for any indication for Crohn's disease didn't differ significantly according to age.


CONCLUSIONS
In this study, Crohn's disease diagnosed in tunisian patients that were 40 years and older had often a colonic site and a less severe phenotype supporting the concept of genetic heterogeneity.
Elloumi
Héla
H
Hôpital universitaire Sahloul, Sousse, Service de Gastro-entdrologie, Tunisie.
Sfar
Souhir
S
Ben Abdelaziz
Ahmed
A
Arfaoui
Dalenda
D
Mouna
Ghouma
G
Ajmi
Salem
S
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002429:Cecal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D003108:Colonic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic / Q000503:physiopathology; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D007077:Ileal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D007412:Intestinal Fistula / Q000503:physiopathology; D012008:Recurrence