ABSTRACT
The aim of the study was to examine the influence of age at diagnosis of Crohn's disease on disease site and course in Tunisian patients
Methods: All hospital patients for Crohn's disease between 1993 and 2002 were included. They were segregated by age at diagnosis as follows: younger than 20 years, 20-39 years, and 40 years or older. And all patients were classified at the time of the latest visit into one of three subtypes of disease [non complicating, stricturing, and fistulizing] according Vienna's classification. Crohn's disease was devised also by site [ileum, ileocecal, colon and higher site]
Results: Sixty one patients [50,4%] were 20-39 years old and 43 patients [35,5%] were 40 years and older. Colonic involvement was significantly more common [46,5%] in the 40 years and older group compared with 20-39 years group [24,6%] [p=0,01]. The subtype without complication was significantly more common [58,1%] in the 40 years and older group compared with 20- 39 years group [39,3%] [p=0,05]. The frequency of the need for surgery for any indication for Crohn's disease didn't differ significantly according to age
Conclusion: In this study, Crohn's disease diagnosed in tunisian patients that were 40 years and older had often a colonic site and a less severe phenotype supporting the concept of genetic heterogeneity