Clinical Features and Course of Crohn Disease in Children.
- Author:
Na Young LEE
1
;
Jae Hong PARK
Author Information
1. Department of Pediatrics, Busan St. Mary's Medical Center, Korea.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Crohn disease;
Children
- MeSH:
Abdominal Pain;
Anemia;
Child*;
Crohn Disease*;
Diagnosis;
Diarrhea;
Fever;
Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage;
Granuloma;
Humans;
Incidence;
Medical Records;
Recurrence;
Retrospective Studies;
Weight Loss
- From:Korean Journal of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
2007;34(4):193-199
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical features and course of Crohn disease (CD) in children. METHODS: The medical records of 30 patients diagnosed with CD between January 1996 and December 2005 were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: The actual number of newly diagnosed patients with CD has increased during the 8-year period. The male/female ratio was 2:1 and the mean age at diagnosis was 10.6+/-4.3 years. The major symptoms of CD at diagnosis were abdominal pain (79.2%), weight loss (54.2%), perianal lesion (54.2%), diarrhea (45.8%), hematochezia (41.7%), anemia (29.2%), and fever (23.3%). The disease location of CD was the small bowel in 33.3%, the large bowel in 12.5% and both the small and large bowel in 54.2%. Granuloma was found in 54.2% of patients. The relapse rate of CD in the group with a higher pediatric Crohn disease activity index (PCDAI) at diagnosis (> or =30) was higher than in the group with a lower PCDAI (<30). The cumulative relapse rates of the patients with granuloma were 30.2% within 1 year and 53.8% within 5 years after the diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of CD in children appears to be increasing. Granuloma formation and a higher score of the PCDAI are associated with a more severe disease course. Pediatric CD may have a somewhat different clinical presentation from older-onset CD.
