Results of surgical treatment of patients with Crohn's disease

A follow-up study of 98 patients suffering from Crohn's disease was performed to evaluate the recurrence rate of the disease and the patients' ability to cope socially with this chronic disease. Eight patients were decreased and one had emigrated, thus 89 of the patients were contacted. Two of the patients had died of Crohn's disease and another two had died of adenocarcinoma of the large bowel involved in Crohn's disease. 83% of the patients had been operated on. The cumulative rate for recurrences resulting in reoperation using the life table method was 34% at 10 years and 55% at 20 years. Even after an enterostomy, the patients who had only large bowel involvement had the best quality of life and were most able to work. On the other hand, due to the higher recurrence rate, operated patients with both small and large bowel involvement found it most difficult to cope with the disease.