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. 2017 Jul 14:10:133-145.
doi: 10.2147/CEG.S127909. eCollection 2017.

Inflammatory bowel disease in Bahrain: single-center experience

Maheeba Abdulla  1 , Mahmood Al Saeed  1 , Rawdha Hameed Fardan  1 , Hawra Faisal Alalwan  1 , Zahra S Ali Almosawi  1 , Amal Fuad Almahroos  1 , Jehad Al Qamish  2
Affiliations

Inflammatory bowel disease in Bahrain: single-center experience

Maheeba Abdulla et al. Clin Exp Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Purpose: The number of newly diagnosed inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) cases such as ulcerative colitis (UC), Crohn's disease (CD), and indeterminate colitis (IC) is rapidly increasing in Gulf countries and Saudi Arabia. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and prevalence of IBD in patients who have attended the Salmaniya Medical Complex, Bahrain, between the years 1984 and 2014.

Patients and methods: All patients who had attended the Salmaniya Medical Complex, Bahrain, and had been diagnosed with UC, CD, or IC, between the years 1984 and 2014, were included in the analysis. Data collected were: patient demographics, symptoms, clinical signs, complications, surgical interventions, extent of disease, endoscopic findings, histopathology, and lab measurements.

Results: A total of 187 cases were included; 61 had CD, 123 had UC, and a further 3 cases presented with IC. A clear increase in the incidence and prevalence of IBD can be seen in this cohort. The prevalence of IBD was calculated to be 26.25/105 cases. The average number of IBD cases increased from 3 cases (average for the years 1984-2001) to 12 cases (average for the years 2002-2014). A number of factors correlate positively or negatively with CD and UC. In the current study, a link between gastrointestinal complications in CD cases and the use of steroids as a treatment was noted (p-value -0.02). Age also had a significant influence on the need for surgery in CD cases (p-value -0.04), and a family history of UC was statistically linked to surgical intervention (p-value -0.05).

Conclusions: IBD can no longer be considered a rare disease in Bahrain. The incidence of both UC and CD is steadily increasing. There is a need for increasing awareness of the Bahraini public to IBD in order for proper medical care to be given.

Keywords: Bahrain; Crohn’s disease; IBD; colon; gastrointestinal disorder; inflammatory bowel diseases; ulcerative colitis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Incidence of IBD is increasing with time in the Bahrain region. Notes: The number of cases of CD and UC of IBD cases, reported between 1984 and 2014, are shown above. There is a clear overall increase in the number of reported cases of CD and UC. Abbreviations: CD, Crohn’s disease; UC, ulcerative colitis; IC, indeterminate colitis; IBD, inflammatory bowel disease.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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