title: Age-related differences in the clinical course of Crohns disease in an Asian population: a retrospective cohort review.
abstract: The aim of this study was to compare the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of patients with young and adult onset Crohns disease. Among 79 consecutive Crohns disease patients (11 (13.92%) with onset =16 years old), young onset Crohns disease was significantly associated with fever (36.36 vs. 14.71%, P 0.041), weight loss (72.7 vs. 29.4%, P 0.003), isolated abdominal pain (45.45 vs. 16.18%, P 0.013), lower body mass index ( 17.32 vs. 21.29 kgm2, P 0.019), and extraintestinal manifestation, particularly oral (45.5% vs. 22.1%, P 0.049) and perianal lesion (63.6% vs. 36.8%, P 0.046). In both groups, ileocolonic disease and inflammatory lesion were the most prevalent site of involvement and dominant disease behavior respectively. Their complication and bowel resection rate were similar but the former took a longer period of time to develop in the young onset group (84 vs. 24 month, P 0.018). Cox proportional hazard regression analysis revealed that active smoking and delayed use of immunosuppressive therapy were the only independent risk factors associated with increased risk of complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Geriatrics, Tuen Mun Hospital, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong. Correspondence to: Dr Siu-tong LAW, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine and Geriatrics, Tuen Mun Hospital, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong. stl168@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Siu-Tong
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Law
authors.forename: Kin Kong
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult