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Inflammatory bowel disease in children: epidemiological analysis of the nationwide IBD registry in Japan

  • Original Article—Alimentary Tract
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Abstract

Objective

We analyzed the database of the Japanese nationwide inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) registry, which was started in 1975, to characterize basic epidemiological and clinical features of childhood IBD, comparing them to those in adults.

Study design

We analyzed the age of disease onset, disease severity and anatomical distribution in patients that were newly registered between 2003 and 2006 (n = 2,940 for CD and 14,857 for UC). We also analyzed the current age, gender and family history of IBD of all patients filed in 2005, which included patients who were newly registered in 2005 and those who had been registered before 2005 and for whom an annual report had been received in 2005 (total number of subjects: 10,934 for CD and 37,846 for UC).

Results

At the time of registration, 10.6% of CD and 5.9% of UC patients were ≤16 years old. In CD, the male to female ratio was 2.6 in adult- and 1.7 in childhood-onset patients (P < 0.001). In UC, the male to female ratio was close to 1 in both age groups. In comparison with adults, pediatric patients more commonly had a positive family history for CD and UC (P < 0.001), tended to have more severe disease at the time of registry (P < 0.001 for CD, P < 0.05 for UC) and more often had extensive colitis in UC (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

The nationwide registry in Japan showed IBD in children has clinical features that are distinct from those in adults.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a grant from “Intractable diseases, the Health and Labour Sciences Research Grants from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-22 Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8511, Japan

    Takashi Ishige, Takeshi Tomomasa, Tomoko Suzuki, Reiko Miyazawa & Hirokazu Arakawa

  2. PAL Children’s Clinic, Isesaki, Gunma, Japan

    Takeshi Tomomasa

  3. Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

    Tohru Takebayashi & Keiko Asakura

  4. Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan

    Mamoru Watanabe

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  1. Takashi Ishige
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Correspondence to Takashi Ishige.

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Ishige, T., Tomomasa, T., Takebayashi, T. et al. Inflammatory bowel disease in children: epidemiological analysis of the nationwide IBD registry in Japan. J Gastroenterol 45, 911–917 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-010-0223-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-010-0223-7

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