Epidemiology of Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Diseases in Southern Iran

BACKGROUND There are great variations in the incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) among different populations. Epidemiologic studies mainly come from North America and Europe. Studies from Iran are mostly data on the adult population from the northern region of the country. METHODS Medical records of 37 pediatric patients (≤ 18 years of age) admitted in the Pediatric Gastroenterology Ward at Nemazee Hospital, from 2001 through 2007 with final diagnoses of IBD were reviewed regarding data such as clinical manifestations and colonoscopic findings. RESULTS There were 19 boys (52%) and 18 girls (48%) with a mean age of 10.3±4.9 years (range: 2-17 years). Of these, 26 (70%) had ulcerative colitis (UC), 9 (25%) were diagnosed with Crohn's disease (CD), and 2 (5%) were labeled as indeterminate colitis (IC). Bloody stools (84.6%) and pallor (80.8%) were the most common features in UC whereas growth failure (88.9%) followed by pallor (77.8%) were the most frequent symptoms in patients with CD. The most frequent colonoscopic findings in UC and CD were erythema (80%) and ulcer (71.4%) respectively. CONCLUSION This study provides available epidemiologic data on pediatric patients with IBD from Southern Iran.