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Updated: Aug 1, 2026

Investigating Intestinal Inflammation in DSS-induced Model of IBD
Published on: February 1, 2012
Validity and completeness of the General Practice Research Database for studies of inflammatory bowel disease
James D Lewis1, Colleen Brensinger, Warren B Bilker
1Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 9th Floor Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6021, USA. jlewis@cceb.med.upenn.edu
Purpose:
The objective of this study was to evaluate the validity and completeness of the General Practice Research Database (GPRD) as a tool for research into inflammatory bowel disease epidemiology.
Methods:
Patients diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease were identified from GPRD. Mailed surveys were sent to the general practitioner caring for a stratified random sample of 170 of these patients and collected information on the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease and the most recent surgery and hospitalization.
Results:
Usable surveys were returned for 157 patients (92%). The inflammatory bowel disease diagnosis was highly probable or probable in 144 (92%, 95% CI 86 to 96%). Among the 53 patients with a potentially incident inflammatory bowel disease diagnosis, 33 (62%) had the first recorded diagnosis in GPRD within 30 days of the date reported in the survey (median difference -8 days; interquartile range 0 to -81 days). Of 12 surgeries and 25 hospitalizations reported in the survey, 11 (92%) and 19 (76%) were identified in GPRD, respectively.
Conclusions:
The diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease in GPRD appears reliable for most patients. Important medical events such as hospitalizations and surgery are recorded at a high rate, although algorithms to identify these events are complex.
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