Association of age at diagnosis and Crohn's disease phenotype.
BACKGROUND
fifteen percent of patients with Crohn's disease (CD) are elderly; they are less likely to have complications and more likely to have colonic disease.


OBJECTIVE
to compare disease behaviour in patients with CD based on age at diagnosis.


METHODS
cross-sectional study.


METHODS
tertiary referral centre.


METHODS
patients with confirmed CD.


METHODS
behaviour was characterised according to the Montreal classification. Patients with either stricturing or penetrating disease were classified as having complicated disease. Age at diagnosis was categorised as <17, 17-40, 41-59 and ≥ 60 years. Logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between advanced age ≥ 60 and complicated disease.


RESULTS
a total of 467 patients were evaluated between 2004 and 2010. Increasing age of diagnosis was negatively associated with complicated disease and positively associated with colonic disease. As age of diagnosis increased, disease duration (P < 0.001), family history of Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (P = 0.015) and perianal disease decreased (P < 0.0015). After adjustment for confounding variables, the association between age at diagnosis and complicated disease was no longer significant (OR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.21-1.65).


CONCLUSIONS
patients diagnosed with CD ≥ 60 were more likely to have colonic disease and non-complicated disease. However, the association between age at diagnosis and complicated disease did not persist after adjustment for confounding variables.
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine,  University of Maryland School of Medicine, 100 North Greene Street, Lower Level, Baltimore, MD 21201,  USA.
Sandra M
SM
Quezada
Eileen K
EK
Steinberger
Raymond K
RK
Cross
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D012307:Risk Factors