Ulcerative colitis in Saudi Arabia: a retrospective analysis of 33 cases treated in a regional referral hospital in Gizan.
BACKGROUND
Until recently ulcerative colitis (UC) was considered rare among Arabs. Information on its occurrence among Saudi is scant and limited to a few reports from urban populations.


OBJECTIVE
to assess the frequency and clinico-pathologic pattern of this disease in a rural population in Gizan region, Saudi Arabia.


METHODS
thirty three patients found to have UC over a 4-year period in King Fahad Central Hospital were analyzed retrospectively.


RESULTS
there were 24 males and nine females patients with UC (ages ranged from 17-70 years, mean age 43.5 years). The commonest presenting symptoms were abdominal pain and diarrhea in 30 and 26 patients respectively. Extra-intestinal manifestations were rare, occurred in only two patients. Total or pancolitis was found in ten (30%) patients and it was severe in nine of them. The disease extended to the splenic flexure in eight (24.2%) of the patients. A total colectomy was required in one patient with severe pan-colitis and a focus of malignancy was present in the resected specimen. No patient died during the follow-up period that ranged from one to six years.


CONCLUSIONS
the study confirmed the occurrence of UC among the rural population studied. The male preponderance, the older age at presentation and relatively milder diseases appeared to be differentiating features from the pattern among western populations.
Alamin
A H
AH
Department of Gastroenterology and Medicine, King Fahad Central Hospital, Gizan, Saudi Arabia.
Ayoola
E A
EA
El Boshra
A S
AS
Hamaza
M K
MK
Gupta
V
V
Ahmed
M A
MA