Crohn's disease in the elderly: a comparison with young adults

We compare the clinicopathological features of 98 Crohn's disease (CD) patients with initial symptoms at 40 years of age or older (elderly; male n = 56, female n = 42) with those of 347 CD patients with onset of symptoms between the age of 16 and 40 years (young adults; male n = 166, female n = 181). The frequency of presenting symptoms, such as diarrhea, rectal blood loss, and weight loss were comparable in both groups, except for abdominal pain/cramps, which occurred somewhat less frequently in the elderly (59% vs. 71%, p < 0.05). The mean lag time between onset of symptoms and first visit to a general practitioner (GP) was considerably shorter in the elderly than in the young adults (0.2 years vs. 0.6 years, p < 0.001), as was the lag time between GP and referral to a specialist (0.6 years vs. 1.0 years, p < 0.07). Overall, this resulted in a significantly (p < 0.01) shorter time to establish the diagnosis in the elderly (1.8 years vs. 2.7 years). Crohn's disease as correct initial diagnosis was in the elderly less frequently observed than in the young adults (49% vs. 61%, p < 0.05), in contrast to diverticulitis (7.1% vs. 0%) and malignancy (6.1% vs. 0.9%), which were more frequently encountered as incorrect preliminary diagnosis in the elderly (both p < 0.005). The percentage of patients who underwent an abdominal operation was similar in both groups (83% vs. 77%), but the diagnosis CD was in the elderly more frequently established at first operation than in young adults (25% and 12%, p < 0.005). The elderly were found to undergo a bowel operation or resection earlier after onset of symptoms. The development of recurrence after bowel resection, although occurring in a lower percentage of patients, was significantly shorter than in the young adults (3.7 years vs. 5.8 years, p < 0.02). Arthritic extraintestinal manifestations were equally frequent in both groups, but elderly patients had significantly less relatives in the first or second degree affected by CD (3.1% vs. 12%, p < 0.02). We conclude that the diagnosis Crohn's disease is more readily established in elderly patients. Moreover, these patients less frequently have abdominal pain/cramps as a presenting symptom, a shorter time interval between onset of symptoms and first resection, and subsequent recurrence of the disease. In addition, elderly CD patients have less relatives affected by the same disease. Thus, CD in the elderly appears to be characterized by a more rapid development.