BACKGROUNDThere is little information of non-perianal fistulating Crohn's disease in the consensus published by the European Crohn's and Colitis Organization in 2006 and 2010. This study was designed to demonstrate the clinical characteristics of non-perianal fistulating Crohn's disease among homogenous Chinese population.

METHODSOne-hundred-and-eighty-four patients were retrospectively collected. All of these patients were diagnosed of Crohn's disease between February 2001 and April 2011.

RESULTSThe male-to-female ratio was 2.7:1. The most common symptoms at onset were abdominal pain (88.0%), diarrhea (34.7%), and fever (28.3%). The most common disease location and behavior at diagnosis were small bowel (56.0%) and penetrating (51.6%). Among 324 non-perianal fistulae, the most common types were ileocolonic anastomotic (30.9%), terminal ileocutaneous (19.7%), and enteroenteric anastomotic (11.4%). One-hundred-and-thirty- eight (75.0%) patients received antibiotics, and β-lactam (85.5%) and metronidazole (67.4%) are most frequently used. One-hundred-and-seventy-eight (96.7%) patients suffered 514 surgical operations, and the cumulative surgical rates after 1, 3, and 5 years were 38.0%, 52.2%, and 58.7% respectively. Nine patients died during the follow-up period, and the cumulative survival rates after 1, 3, and 5 years were 97.8%, 96.7%, and 96.2% respectively.

CONCLUSIONSThis study displayed the clinical characteristics of non-perianal fistulating Crohn's disease in our center. Large population-based studies are required for further investigation in China.