Clinical features of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease in Turkey.
OBJECTIVE
This study is aimed at determining the clinical and socio-demographic characteristics of Turkish patients with inflammatory bowel disease who have been treated in a tertiary referral center.


METHODS
The study was conducted between 1993 and 2007 at Ankara Yuksek Ihtisas Hospital, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinics. The clinical and epidemiologic data from this clinic were gathered and analysed.


RESULTS
During the study period, 702 patients were identified as having inflammatory bowel disease; among these, 507 with ulcerative colitis (72.2%) and 195 with Crohn's disease (27.8%). The mean age at diagnosis was 46.2 years in ulcerative colitis and 40 years in Crohn's disease (p < 0.001). The male to female ratio was 1.2 for ulcerative colitis and 1.6 for Crohn's disease (p = 0.12). Of the patients who were primarily diagnosed with ulcerative colitis 16.8% had their diagnoses changed to Crohn's disease after the follow-up period.


CONCLUSIONS
Peak age of onset for both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis were similar to other countries. A slight male predominance of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis were found for Turkish patients. Though it takes longer to diagnose, Crohn's disease may have a milder course in Turkish patients.
Ozin
Yasemin
Y
Department of Gastroenterology, Turkiye Yuksek Ihtisas Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. yozderin@mynet.com
Kilic
Mesut Zeki Yalin
MZ
Nadir
Isilay
I
Cakal
Basak
B
Disibeyaz
Selcuk
S
Arhan
Mehmet
M
Dagli
Ulku
U
Tunc
Bilge
B
Ulker
Aysel
A
Sahin
Burhan
B
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010375:Pedigree; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult