Rising incidence of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease in Scotland

Henderson, P. et al. (2012) Rising incidence of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease in Scotland. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, 18(6), pp. 999-1005. (doi: 10.1002/ibd.21797) (PMID:21688352)

Abstract

<p><b>Background:</b> An accurate indication of the changing incidence of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (PIBD) within a population is useful in understanding concurrent etiological factors. We aimed to compare the current incidence and other demographic attributes of PIBD in the Scottish population to previous data.</p> <p><b>Methods:</b> A national cohort of prospectively and retrospectively acquired incident cases of PIBD diagnosed less than 16 years old in pediatric services in Scotland was captured for the period 2003–2008; historical Scottish data were used for comparison (1990–1995). Age/sex-adjusted incidences were calculated and statistical comparisons made using Poisson regression.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> During the 2003–2008 study period 436 patients were diagnosed with PIBD in Scotland, giving an adjusted incidence of 7.82/100,000/year. The incidence of Crohn's disease (CD) was 4.75/100,000/year, ulcerative colitis (UC) 2.06/100,000/year, and inflammatory bowel disease-unclassified (IBDU) 1.01/100,000/year. Compared with data from 1990–1995 when 260 IBD patients were diagnosed, significant rises in the incidence of IBD (from 4.45/100,000/year, P < 0.0001), CD (from 2.86/100,000/year, P < 0.0001), and UC (from 1.59/100,000/year, P = 0.023) were seen. There was also a significant reduction in the median age at IBD diagnosis from 12.7 years to 11.9 years between the periods (P = 0.003), with a continued male preponderance.</p> <p><b>Conclusions:</b> The number of Scottish children diagnosed with IBD continues to rise, with a statistically significant 76% increase since the mid-1990s. Furthermore, PIBD is now being diagnosed at a younger age. The reason for this continued rise is not yet clear; however, new hypotheses regarding disease pathogenesis and other population trends may provide further insights in future years.</p>

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Russell, Dr Richard and Gerasimidis, Professor Konstantinos and Hansen, Dr Richard
• Authors: Henderson, P., Hansen, R., Cameron, F.L., Gerasimidis, K., Rogers, P., Bisset, M., Reynish, E.L., Drummond, H.E., Anderson, N.H., Van Limbergen, J., Russell, R.K., Satsangi, J., and Wilson, D.C.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing
• Journal Name: Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
• ISSN: 1078-0998
• ISSN (Online): 1536-4844
• Published Online: 17 June 2011