[A comparative study of incidence and prevalence of Crohn's disease in mainland China in different periods].

OBJECTIVE: To collect data and analyze the current status and prevalence changes of Crohn's disease (CD) in mainland China in recent decades. METHODS: A computer-based literature search was previously performed by using 50-year (1950 to 2002) of records of CD from the Chinese Database of Biology and Medicine (CBM) (1979 to 2002) and a manual year-by-year search of the literature (1950 to 1978). Using similar method, descriptive epidemiological data from 2003 to 2007 were collected, analyzed and compared with previous research. RESULTS: Four hundred and seventeen relevant papers during 2003 and 2007 were collected and 62 papers were eligible for inclusion. Within 62 papers, a total of 2149 cases with CD from 2003 to 2007 have been reported nationwide, comprising 1288 male and 861 female patients, with a 1.50:1 male predominance, and indicating 1.41 time of increment as compared with our previous result (ie, 1526 cases from 1950 - 2002). There were no obvious changes in incidence age (younger and middle age were main components) and sex ratio (number of male was still larger than that of female). The extrapolated CD incidence and prevalence rates were 1.21/100 000 person·year and 2.29/100 000, respectively, which were higher than that of year 1950 - 2002, 0.28/100 000 person·year and 1.38/100 000, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence and prevalence rates of CD have been increasing rapidly, but these rates are still lower than those in Western world.

Prevalence and incidence rates of Crohn's disease in mainland China: a meta-analysis of 55 years of research.

OBJECTIVES: To better understand the occurrence of Crohn's disease in mainland China and to give an updated overview of the current status of the disease. METHODS: We previously performed a computer-based literature search using 50 years of records from the Chinese Database of Biology and Medicine (1979 to 2002), combined with a manual year-by-year search of the literature from 1950 to 1978. Using a similar method, descriptive epidemiological data of the last 5 years (2003 to September 2007) were collected, pooled with our previous data and re-analyzed. RESULTS: In total, 3618 cases of Crohn's disease since 1950 have been reported from 29 provinces and cities in mainland China, comprising 2112 male and 1506 female patients, with a male predominance of 1.40:1. More than 75 percent of the patients were aged from 20 to 50 years old, with a mean age of 36.9 +/- 4.4 (1- 84) years. The extrapolated disease incidence and prevalence rates are 0.848/10(5) and 2.29/10(5) person/year, respectively. CONCLUSION: The incidence and prevalence rates of Crohn's disease have been increasing rapidly, and the disease is no longer uncommon in China, but these rates are still lower than those in developed countries and other Asian countries. An underestimation may occur because patients who were misdiagnosed or did not seek medical advice could not be included in the study. A future population-based survey is warranted.

Crohn's disease in mainland China: a systematic analysis of 50 years of research.

BACKGROUND: Crohn's disease appears to be increasing in frequency in many areas of the world. However, little information with regard to disease incidence, prevalence and temporal trends has been published in China. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review is to better understand the occurrence of Crohn's disease in mainland China, and to give an overview of the current status of the disease. METHODS: We used a computer-based literature search using 50-years of records from the Chinese Database of Biology and Medicine (CBM, 1979-2002), combined with a manual year-by-year search of the literature from 1950 to 1979. Each article was double-reviewed, and all descriptive epidemiological data were recorded, pooled and statistically analyzed. RESULTS: In total, 1526 cases of Crohn's disease since 1950 have been reported by more than 50 hospitals from 22 provinces and cities in mainland China, comprising 884 male and 642 female patients, with a 1.38:1 male predominance. More than 70% of patients were aged 20 to 50 years old, with a mean age of 37.2 +/- 2.68 (ranging from 1 to 83) years. The extrapolated disease incidence and prevalence rates are 0.28/100,000 person years and 1.38/100,000 persons, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence and prevalence rates of Crohn's disease are still lower than those in Western and other Asian countries, but these rates have been increasing rapidly, and the disease is no longer uncommon. An underestimation may occur because the patients who were misdiagnosed or did not seek medical advice could not be included in the study. A future population-based survey is warranted.