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Chronic inflammatory bowel disease in children in western Norway
E J Olafsdottir1, G Fluge, K Haug
1Department of Pediatrics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
Insights
This study found the highest childhood Crohn's disease (CD) incidence ever reported, while ulcerative colitis (UC) rates in children were lower than previously observed in Northern Europe.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Epidemiology
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) research
Background:
- Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) affecting children.
- Estimating the incidence of pediatric IBD is crucial for understanding disease burden and trends.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prospectively estimate the incidence of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) in children (aged 15 or less) in western Norway.
- To compare these incidence rates with previously reported data.
Main Methods:
- Prospective epidemiological study conducted in western Norway during 1984-1985.
- Total population: 807,000; Child population (≤15 years): 198,570.
- Identified 27 new pediatric IBD cases: 10 CD and 17 UC.
Main Results:
- The mean annual incidence of pediatric CD was 2.5 per 100,000 children/year.
- The mean annual incidence of pediatric UC was 4.3 per 100,000 children/year.
- Pediatric CD incidence in this study represents the highest reported to date; pediatric UC incidence was lower than previously reported for Northern Europe.
Conclusions:
- Western Norway exhibited a notably high incidence of pediatric Crohn's disease during the study period.
- The incidence of pediatric ulcerative colitis in this region was lower than anticipated based on prior European studies.
- Abdominal symptoms were nearly universal among the studied children with IBD.
Abstract:
The incidence of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) in children in western Norway was estimated in a prospective epidemiological study during the years 1984 and 1985. The total population in the area was 807,000 and the child population was 198,570 (1984). There were 27 new cases of chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in children aged 15 years or less, 10 new cases of CD, and 17 of UC. The mean annual incidence of CD in the child population was 2.5/100,000/year, whereas the incidence of UC in the child population was 4.3/100,000/year. Nearly all the children had abdominal symptoms. In this study, we found an incidence of CD in children that is the highest hitherto reported, to our knowledge. To the contrary, the incidence of UC was considerably lower than previously reported from northern Europe.