Clinical features of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease in Turkey.

Objective: This study is aimed at determining the clinical and socio-demographic characteristics of Turkish patients with inflammatory bowel disease who have been treated in a tertiary referral center.

Methods: The study was conducted between 1993 and 2007 at Ankara Yuksek Ihtisas Hospital, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinics. The clinical and epidemiologic data from this clinic were gathered and analysed.

Results: During the study period, 702 patients were identified as having inflammatory bowel disease; among these, 507 with ulcerative colitis (72.2%) and 195 with Crohn's disease (27.8%). The mean age at diagnosis was 46.2 years in ulcerative colitis and 40 years in Crohn's disease (p < 0.001). The male to female ratio was 1.2 for ulcerative colitis and 1.6 for Crohn's disease (p = 0.12). Of the patients who were primarily diagnosed with ulcerative colitis 16.8% had their diagnoses changed to Crohn's disease after the follow-up period.

Conclusions: Peak age of onset for both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis were similar to other countries. A slight male predominance of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis were found for Turkish patients. Though it takes longer to diagnose, Crohn's disease may have a milder course in Turkish patients.