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. 2009 Apr;15(2):111-6.
doi: 10.4103/1319-3767.45357.

Crohn's disease in a Saudi outpatient population: is it still rare?

Mohammad A Al-Mofarreh  1 , Ibrahim A Al Mofleh, Ibrahim N Al-Teimi, Abdulrahman M Al-Jebreen
Affiliations

Crohn's disease in a Saudi outpatient population: is it still rare?

Mohammad A Al-Mofarreh et al. Saudi J Gastroenterol. 2009 Apr.

Abstract

Background/aim: To determine the epidemiology of Crohn's disease (CD) in an outpatient clinic and compare it with data previously reported from different centers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and outside.

Materials and methods: The medical records of all patients with CD seen in the clinic in the period from January 1993 through December 2007 were reviewed. The demographic, clinical data and methods of diagnosis were retrieved.

Results: Over a period of 15 years, we saw 133 Saudi patients with CD. They were predominantly young, with a median age of 26.2 years and male preponderance (2.3:1). The final diagnosis was established within 1 week of presentation in 47% of the patients. The leading symptoms were abdominal pain (88%), diarrhea (70%), bloating (61%), rectal bleeding (50%), weight loss (33%), constipation (24%) and perianal disease (23%). The diagnosis was established by endoscopy and histopathology. Ileocecal involvement was encountered in 40% of the patients.

Conclusion: From the current study, it is obviously possible to diagnose a large proportion of patients with CD in a gastroenterology outpatient clinic. The data revealed a strikingly increased incidence of CD in a mainly young Saudi population in the past few years.

Keywords: Crohn's disease; Saudi Arabia; increasing trend.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Age distribution (n: 133)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Deep map-like terminal ileum ulcer and thickened nodular mucosa
Figure 3 (a and b)
Figure 3 (a and b)
Small bowel radiology with skip lesions, string sign and entroenteric fistula
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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