Sung Wook Hwang1,2, Jee Hyun Kim1, Jong Pil Im1, Byong Duk Ye2, Hoon Sup Koo3, Kyu Chan Huh3, Jae Hee Cheon4, You Sun Kim5, Young Ho Kim6, Dong Soo Han7, Won Ho Kim4, Joo Sung Kim1. 1. Department of Internal Medicine and Liver Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea. 2. Department of Gastroenterology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea. 3. Department of Internal Medicine, Konyang University College of Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea. 4. Department of Internal Medicine and Institute of Gastroenterology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea. 5. Department of Internal Medicine, Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea. 6. Department of Internal Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea. 7. Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM: The present study evaluated the clinical characteristics of Korean patients with Crohn's disease (CD) according to their age at diagnosis in a nationwide multicenter cohort study. METHODS: A total of 1224 patients diagnosed with CD between 1982 and 2008 in 32 hospitals were included, and age at diagnosis was categorized as ≤ 16 (G1), 17-40 (G2), 41-59 (G3) and ≥ 60 (G4) years old. The baseline characteristics, medication, and intestinal resection were compared according to the age at diagnosis. RESULTS: The number of patients in each age group was 155 (G1; 12.7%), 919 (G2; 75.1%), 120 (G3; 9.8%), and 30 (G4; 2.5%). The frequencies of ileocolonic disease in the late adult onset and elderly onset groups were lower than those in the other groups (P < 0.001). The cumulative probabilities of thiopurine and anti-tumor necrosis factor use in late adult onset and elderly onset groups were significantly reduced compared with those of the other groups (P < 0.01). However, the risk of the first intestinal resection was not different among the age groups. The ileal location (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.59; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11-2.27), complicated behavior (HR: 3.35; 95% CI: 2.63-4.27), and early thiopurine use (HR: 0.27; 95% CI: 0.17-0.43) were associated with the first intestinal resection, whereas the age at diagnosis was not a risk factor. CONCLUSIONS: Elderly onset CD may be related to favorable outcomes in Korea. Thus, the heterogeneity of this disease should be considered when developing a tailored strategy for the treatment of CD.
BACKGROUND AND AIM: The present study evaluated the clinical characteristics of Korean patients with Crohn's disease (CD) according to their age at diagnosis in a nationwide multicenter cohort study. METHODS: A total of 1224 patients diagnosed with CD between 1982 and 2008 in 32 hospitals were included, and age at diagnosis was categorized as ≤ 16 (G1), 17-40 (G2), 41-59 (G3) and ≥ 60 (G4) years old. The baseline characteristics, medication, and intestinal resection were compared according to the age at diagnosis. RESULTS: The number of patients in each age group was 155 (G1; 12.7%), 919 (G2; 75.1%), 120 (G3; 9.8%), and 30 (G4; 2.5%). The frequencies of ileocolonic disease in the late adult onset and elderly onset groups were lower than those in the other groups (P < 0.001). The cumulative probabilities of thiopurine and anti-tumor necrosis factor use in late adult onset and elderly onset groups were significantly reduced compared with those of the other groups (P < 0.01). However, the risk of the first intestinal resection was not different among the age groups. The ileal location (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.59; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11-2.27), complicated behavior (HR: 3.35; 95% CI: 2.63-4.27), and early thiopurine use (HR: 0.27; 95% CI: 0.17-0.43) were associated with the first intestinal resection, whereas the age at diagnosis was not a risk factor. CONCLUSIONS: Elderly onset CD may be related to favorable outcomes in Korea. Thus, the heterogeneity of this disease should be considered when developing a tailored strategy for the treatment of CD.