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A comparison of abdominal surgical outcomes between African–American and Caucasian Crohn’s patients

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International Journal of Colorectal Disease Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background and objective

Whether race affects the natural history of Crohn’s disease is a matter of debate. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the differences in surgical outcomes between African–American (AA) and Caucasian (C) Crohn’s patients undergoing surgery at a tertiary care referral center.

Methods

With Institutional Review Board approval, the medical records of our institution were queried to identify consecutive AA and C patients who underwent surgery for Crohn’s disease from December 1, 2009 to December 15, 2011. A retrospective chart review was performed using electronic medical records.

Results

A total of 77 patients were included in this study, including 32 AA (41 %) and 45 C (59 %). No significant differences were seen with respect to age, gender, type of insurance, preoperative exposure to immunosuppressives, body mass index, or smoking history between the two populations (p > 0.05). There was a trend toward lower albumin in AAs (p = 0.09). AA and C patients who underwent their first Crohn’s disease (CD)-related surgery had similar lag periods between diagnosis and surgery. No significant differences were seen in location of disease, indication for operation, and need for open laparotomy over laparoscopy. No significant differences were seen in need for a repeat operation within 90 days of the original surgery or major postoperative complications. There was a trend toward higher rate of minor complications in the AA group (p = 0.07).

Conclusion

No significant differences were noted in the current study in several preoperative variables and surgical outcomes between AA and C.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Emory University, 1365 Clifton Road, NE Building B, STE 1200, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    Nicole Griglione, Shadi Yarandi, Jahnavi Srinivasan, Thomas Ahearn & Tanvi Dhere

  2. Department of Surgery, Emory University, 1365 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    Jahnavi Srinivasan

  3. School of Public Health, Emory University, 1365 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    Thomas Ahearn

Authors
  1. Nicole Griglione
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  2. Shadi Yarandi
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  3. Jahnavi Srinivasan
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  4. Thomas Ahearn
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  5. Tanvi Dhere
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tanvi Dhere.

Additional information

This study was approved by the Emory Institutional Review Board and has therefore been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments.

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Griglione, N., Yarandi, S., Srinivasan, J. et al. A comparison of abdominal surgical outcomes between African–American and Caucasian Crohn’s patients. Int J Colorectal Dis 29, 917–922 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00384-014-1902-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00384-014-1902-2

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