Crohn's Disease in Norway - Clinical Features

A total number of 72 patients with typical Crohn's disease has been reported for the whole country of Norway during the 8-year period 1956-63. No sex difference was found. The youngest patient was 14 years old. The average age at the time of diagnosis, 40.4 years, was higher than in previously published series of patients, The main symptoms observed in our patients were: abdominal pain in 86 per cent, diarrhea in 53 per cent, loss of weight in 40 per cent, fever in 33 per cent, subileus in 34 per cent, and ileus in 21 per cent. Gastrointestinal bleeding occurred in 19 per cent of the cases, an abdominal mass was palpated in 36 per cent, and fistulas occurred in 33 per cent of the patients. The disease was localized to the terminal ileum alone in 58 per cent, to terminal ileum and coecum in 21 per cent, and to proximal ileum and jejunum in 7 per cent of the cases. Jejunum alone was affected in 7 per cent and in 7 per cent ileum and segments of colon distal to coecum were affected. Forty-one patients were treated by primary resection, which was followed by good results in 84 per cent of the cases. Improvement occurred less frequently in the 16 patients treated with primary bypass operation.