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Inflammatory bowel disease characteristics and treatment in Hispanics and Caucasians
Jason Hou1, Hashem El-Serag, Joseph Sellin
1Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Baylor College of Medicine Gastroenterology, 1709 Dryden Street Suite 800, Houston, TX 77030, USA. jkhou@bcm.tmc.edu
Insights
Hispanic and Caucasian patients show different inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patterns. Hispanics were diagnosed later and had fewer surgeries, with ulcerative colitis more common than Crohn's disease.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Epidemiology
- Health Disparities
Background:
- Limited data exists on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in U.S. Hispanic populations.
- Most IBD research has focused on Caucasian patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare IBD characteristics between Hispanic and Caucasian patients.
- To identify differences in diagnosis, disease type, and treatment outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of medical records for patients diagnosed with Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) between 2000-2006.
- Data abstraction included demographics, disease characteristics, and treatment.
- Comparison of IBD features between Hispanic and Caucasian cohorts.
Main Results:
- Hispanics were diagnosed with IBD at a significantly older age (37.8 years) than Caucasians (29.0 years).
- Crohn's disease (CD) was less prevalent in Hispanics (36%) compared to Caucasians (65%).
- Caucasians underwent more bowel resections per patient (0.5) than Hispanics (0.22).
Conclusions:
- Hispanic patients with IBD are diagnosed later and have a lower incidence of CD compared to Caucasians.
- Ulcerative colitis (UC) is more common in Hispanics, while CD is more common in Caucasians.
- Further research is needed to explore potential genetic or environmental factors influencing these IBD disparities.
Background:
Many inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) studies have focused on Caucasian patients and little data exist on IBD in Hispanics living in the United States.
Aim:
The aim of our study was to compare IBD characteristics between Hispanic and Caucasian patients in the Harris County Hospital District (HCHD).
Methods:
We identified patients within the HCHD with a diagnosis of Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) recorded during 2000-2006. Primary medical record review was performed to confirm the diagnosis and to abstract data on patient demographics, disease characteristics and treatment.
Results:
A total of 69 Hispanic and 83 Caucasian patients with confirmed IBD were analyzed. Hispanics were diagnosed with IBD at an older age than Caucasians (mean age 37.8 SD 16 vs. mean age 29.0 SD 14, P < 0.01). In Hispanics with IBD, there was a lower proportion of patients with CD compared to Caucasians with IBD (36% vs. 65%, P < 0.01). Although there were no significant differences in diagnostic examinations or medication prescription between the two groups, there was a higher number of bowel resections per patient in Caucasians compared with Hispanics (0.5 vs. 0.22, P = 0.01).
Conclusions:
Hispanics with IBD were diagnosed at a significantly older age than Caucasians and had a lower number of bowel resections per patient. In Hispanics with IBD, UC was more common than CD while CD was more common than UC among Caucasians with IBD. Further research is required to confirm these observations and determine if these findings reflect genetic or environmental differences.
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