Crohn's disease in Saudi Arabia

We report 17 children with Crohn's disease seen at King Abdulaziz University Jeddah, Saudi Arabia during 1980 to 1990. The ages ranged from 5 to 15 years; 10 cases were boys. The average duration of symptoms prior to presentation was 25 months (range 4 days-4 years). The chief clinical features included abdominal pain in 15 patients, diarrhea in 12, fever in 7, hematochezia in 6, weight loss in 8 and arthralgia in 2 patients. Radiological signs of Crohn's disease involving the terminal ileum and/or the small bowel were seen in 4 of 10 cases. Four cases showed nonspecific inflammation with chronic inflammatory cells and granulomas on bowel and lymph node biopsies. A satisfactory response to therapy with steroids was seen in all cases. Sixteen recurrences were seen in 11 patients; all these recurrences were mild and seen in patients with poor compliance to medication. This study suggests that Crohn's disease is not an uncommon entity in Saudi Arabia. Most cases show satisfactory response to therapy with steroids; however prolonged follow-up is required.