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Epidemiology of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease categorized by age subgroups in Korea
Yeong Eun Kim1, Seo-Hee Kim2, Seong Pyo Kim3,4
1Department of Pediatrics, Asan Medical Center Children's Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Insights
Pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (PIBD) incidence is rising globally, with Korean data showing significant increases in older children (6-16 years) but not in infants. Regional variations in Crohn's disease were noted in older age groups.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Epidemiology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (PIBD) incidence is rising worldwide.
- Research on age-specific PIBD epidemiology in Asian populations is limited.
- This study examines PIBD epidemiology across different age subgroups in Korea.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the incidence and trends of PIBD in Korea.
- To analyze age-specific epidemiological differences in PIBD.
- To explore regional variations in PIBD incidence.
Main Methods:
- Utilized nationwide Korean health administration data from 2005 to 2016.
- Categorized patients into four age groups: 0-1, 2-5, 6-9, and 10-16 years.
- Employed Poisson regression analysis to assess incidence, temporal changes, and regional differences.
Main Results:
- Overall PIBD incidence increased from 1.173/10^5 PY (2005-2007) to 3.267/10^5 PY (2014-2016).
- Incidence remained stable in the 0-5 year age groups but significantly increased in the 6-16 year groups.
- Crohn's disease incidence showed regional disparities in older children (6-16 years), unlike ulcerative colitis.
Conclusions:
- Temporal trends and regional differences in PIBD vary significantly by age subgroup.
- Suggests differential impacts of genetic and environmental factors on IBD development across pediatric age groups.
- Highlights the need for age-specific research and interventions for PIBD.
Background:
Pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (PIBD) affects different age groups and its incidence is increasing worldwide. However, there is a lack of research focusing on age subgroups in Asian countries. In this nationwide population-based study, we investigated the epidemiology of PIBD among different age subgroups in Korea.
Methods:
We analyzed Korean health administration data from 2005 to 2016. Data were divided by age at diagnosis as follows: group 1, 0-1 years; group 2, 2-5 years; group 3, 6-9 years; group 4, 10-16 years. We analyzed the overall incidence, temporal changes, and regional differences by age subgroups, using Poisson regression analysis.
Results:
From 2005 to 2016, 2734 inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) cases were diagnosed among patients under 17 years of age. In the overall population, the incidence rate of PIBD over the entire study period was 2.248/105 person-years (PY), significantly increasing from 1.173/105 PY in 2005-2007 to 3.267/105 PY in 2014-2016. The incidence rates in groups 1 and 2 remained unchanged, whereas those of groups 3 and 4 increased significantly. The same trend was observed when analyzed separately for Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). The incidence rates of CD in groups 3 and 4 showed differences between metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas, whereas those in groups 1 and 2, and UC of all age subgroups showed no difference.
Conclusions:
The temporal trend and regional differences of PIBD differed among age subgroups, suggesting that genetic and environmental factors have varying impacts on IBD development across different subgroups.
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