Epidemiology of Inflammatory Bowel Disease among Children in Poland

Abstract

Background/Aims: The incidence of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Western countries is on the rise. No prospective studies have been conducted on the epidemiology of pediatric IBD in Poland. The aim of the study was to define the characteristics of new pediatric IBD and assess the incidence of new IBD among children in Poland between 2002 and 2004. Methods: Patient records from 24 pediatric gastroenterology centers servicing the whole population of Poland were collected. IBD diagnosis was based on clinical, radiological, endoscopic and histological features. Results: There were 491 new IBD patients, representing an overall incidence of IBD of 2.7 cases/100,000 children/year. The incidence of Crohn’s disease (CD) was 0.6, ulcerative colitis (UC) 1.3, and indeterminate colitis (IC) 0.8. The age-related incidence of IBD was 1.8 in the 0- to 10-year-old age group, rising to 3.7 for the 11- to 18-year age group. Conclusions: The overall incidence of IBD (as well as CD, UC and IC) in Poland is lower than that in Western countries. The relative contribution of UC and IC to the overall IBD incidence is higher in Poland than in most Western countries. These findings may suggest a tendency towards under- or misdiagnosis.

Inflammatory bowel disease incidence in Czech children: A regional prospective study, 2000-2015

“…We suggest that a comparison of these studies may be indicative of the loss of this gradient in European children and exceptions to that rule. In addition, these findings reporting low incidence rates in eastern Europe contrast with the findings of a previous study in Polish children that suggested that the incidence of UC was higher than that of CD (1.3 vs 0.8/100000 person-years)[48]. …”

Epidemiology of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease: A systematic review of international trends

“…A total of 2209 references were reviewed, resulting in 139 included studies7–145 from 32 countries (Fig. 1).…”

“…1). Of included articles, 39 (28.1%) reported IBD incidence and/or prevalence in children only8, 12–14, 16–18, 29, 31, 48, 49, 51, 53, 65, 68, 71, 72, 77, 79, 83, 84, 86, 92, 107–109, 111–113, 115–117, 124, 129, 134, 136, 137, 141, 145, while the remaining 100 (71.9%) reported rates of pediatric IBD within cohorts of children and adults. The methods used for case ascertainment varied significantly between studies.…”

Diagnosis and Therapy of Microscopic Colitis with Presence of Foamy Macrophages in Children

“…Difficulties associated with unanimous classification of a significant part of colitis to a strictly defined group are a serious medical problem [5, 16]. Classification of chronic colitis inadequate to actual condition may negatively influence therapy and prognosis in this large, socially important group of civilisation diseases.…”