BACKGROUND/AIMS: Focally enhanced gastritis (FEG) has been suggested as a specific diagnostic marker for patients with Crohn's disease (CD). However, the usefulness of FEG for distinguishing CD from ulcerative colitis (UC) is uncertain and the incidence or prevalence of FEG for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients in Korea has not been defined yet. In this study, we investigated the frequency of FEG and other gastric histological abnormalities in Korean patients with CD and UC. METHODS: We evaluated 37 patients with known CD, 43 patients with UC and 41 non-IBD control group; all underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy followed by biopsy from the antrum and the body. The pathology of the gastric biopsy specimens and the presence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) were evaluated. FEG was characterized by a focal perifoveolar or periglandular inflammatory cell infiltrates. RESULTS: H. pylori positive gastritis was found in 10 of 37 (27.0%) of CD patients, in 16 of 43 (37.2%) of UC patients, and in 22 of 41 (53.7%) of non-IBD control group (p=0.054). In H. pylori-negative patients, FEG was found in 8 of 27 patients (29.6%) of CD patients, 6 of 27 (22.2%) patients with UC, and 2 of 9 (10.5%) of non-IBD control group (p=0.324). CONCLUSIONS: In H. pylori-negative patients, there was no statistically significant difference in the occurrence of FEG among CD, UC and control groups in Korea.
Adult ; Colitis, Ulcerative/*diagnosis/etiology/pathology ; Crohn Disease/*diagnosis/etiology/pathology ; Female ; Gastritis/epidemiology/*pathology ; Gastroscopy ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Upper Gastrointestinal Tract/pathology

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The incidence of Crohn's disease (CD) has been steadily increasing in Korea due to westernized life style and widely used imaging studies such as colonoscopy. There were few studies about the status of longterm trend of CD and intestinal tuberculosis (IT). Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the trend of CD and IT in Korea. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of newly diagnosed 65 patients with CD and 54 patients with IT at Chonnam National University Hospital between January 1998 and August 2007. RESULTS: Between 1998 and 2002, 16 and 40 patients were newly diagnosed as having CD and IT respectively, but between 2003 and 2007, 39 and 14 patients were newly diagnosed as having CD and IT respectively. CD patients (28.2+/-15.2 years) were younger than IT (46.2+/-18.5 years) (p=0.001). The male to female ratio of CD and IT were 2:1 and 1.1:1, respectively. The most common symptom of CD and IT was abdominal pain. Longitudinal ulceration, hyperemia, luminal narrowing, pseudopolyp, and cobble stone appearance were more common in CD than in IT (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: While the incidence of CD has increased, the incidence of IT has fallen over the last decade.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Crohn Disease/*diagnosis/*epidemiology/pathology ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Tuberculosis, Gastrointestinal/*diagnosis/*epidemiology/pathology