title: [Clinical characteristics of ischemic bowel disease in young and middle-aged patients].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the clinical characteristics of ischemic bowel disease (IBD) in young and middle-aged patients (aged under 65 years old).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 33 young and middle-aged IBD patients from January 1997 to July 2011 at Department of Gastroenterology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University were studied retrospectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among them, 4 patients underwent surgical procedures while 29 patients received conservative medical management. All became cured after correct treatment. The disease with a nighttime onset took up 36.4% (12/33). Among them, 21.2% (7/33) took oral contraceptives previously. Patients with no specific pre-existing condition accounted for 39.4% (13/33). Abdominal pain and hematochezia were the chief complaints of all patients. The laboratory findings were non-specific. The radiographic examination remained a major diagnostic tool. And 51.5% (17/33) patients had typical colonoscopic manifestations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More attention should be paid to young and middle-aged patients with classic abdominal pain, hematochezia and a lack of baseline cardiovascular disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Renmin Hospital, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: He-sheng
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Luo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003106:Colon / Q000098:blood supply; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000098:blood supply*; D007511:Ischemia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies