[Differences by age in clinical features of inflammatory bowel disease]

Approximately, 15% of patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) are diagnosed at 60 years of age or more.

To characterize and compare clinical variables between patients with IBD aged 60 years or more and their younger counterparts.

Retrospective study based on a registry of IBD patients diagnosed between the years 1976 and 2014.

Four hundred and nine IBD patients were included. Among them, 294 had Ulcerative Colitis (UC), 104 had Crohn's Disease (CD) and eleven had an indeterminate IBD. Forty-six patients (11.2%) were older than 60 years and 16 (3.9%) had been diagnosed after this age. When comparing patients by age, those aged 60 years or more had a higher frequency of CD and indeterminate IBD (p < 0.01) and a lower ileocolic location in CD (p = 0.02). Both groups were similar in terms of hospitalization due to IBD flare, surgery, use of steroids, immunosuppressive or biological therapies and drug-related adverse events. When analyzing age at diagnosis of IBD, patients diagnosed at ages of 60 years or more had a lower frequency of UC (p < 0.01), a higher frequency of exclusive colonic involvement (p = 0.01), and lower use of mesalamine (p < 0.01). There were no differences in drug-related adverse events, hospitalizations due to IBD flares and surgery according to age at diagnosis.

In this population, clinical features of IBD in older patients were similar to those in younger patients.