title: Anemia in a population-based IBD cohort (ICURE): still high prevalence after 1 year, especially among pediatric patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prevalence of anemia in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is uncertain because of scarcity of population-based studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate prevalence of anemia in a population-based cohort of newly diagnosed patients with IBD to identify risk factors for anemia and to describe contemporary anemia-specific treatment during the first year.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients with ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease in the IBD Cohort of Uppsala Region cohort (n = 790) and hemoglobin levels at the time of diagnosis were eligible for inclusion. The WHO definition of anemia was used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seven hundred forty-nine (95%) of the patients with IBD were included. Five hundred eighty of 749 (77%) patients had measured hemoglobin levels at 12-month follow-up. The prevalence of anemia at the time of diagnosis was 227/749 (30%). After 1 year, it was 102/580 (18%). Anemia was more common among newly diagnosed patients with Crohn's disease compared with ulcerative colitis (42% versus 24%, P < 0.0001), but after 1 year, there was no difference (18% versus 18%, P = NS). Children had more often anemia compared with adults, both at diagnosis and after 1 year (diagnosis: 55% versus 27%, P < 0.0001; follow-up: 28% versus 16%, P < 0.05). Anemia was associated with colonic engagement in Crohn's disease and the extent of inflammation in ulcerative colitis. Only 46% of patients with anemia were treated with iron supplementation or blood transfusion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The overall prevalence of anemia in patients with IBD at the time of diagnosis was high. A large proportion was still anemic after 1 year. Children were more at risk compared with adults. More efforts are needed to treat patients with anemia.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Internal Medicine, Falu Hospital, Falun, Sweden; †Department of Internal Medicine, Åland Central Hospital, Åland, Finland; ‡Department of Internal Medicine, Mälar Hospital, Eskilstuna, Sweden; and Departments of §Pediatrics, and ‖Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sjöberg
authors.forename: Tommy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Holmström
authors.forename: Märit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Larsson
authors.forename: Anne-Lie
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Holmquist
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rönnblom
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000740:Anemia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult