Ethnic differences in inflammatory bowel disease: Results from the United Kingdom inception cohort epidemiology study

BACKGROUND The current epidemiology of inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)in the multiethnic United Kingdom is unknown.The last incidence study in the United Kingdom was carried out over 20 years ago.AIM To describe the incidence and phenotype of IBD and distribution within ethnic groups.METHODS Adult patients(>16 years)with newly diagnosed IBD(fulfilling Copenhagen diagnostic criteria)were prospectively recruited over one year in 5 urban catchment areas with high South Asian population.Patient demographics,ethnic codes,disease phenotype(Montreal classification),disease activity and treatment within 3 months of diagnosis were recorded onto the Epicom database.RESULTS Across a population of 2271406 adults,339 adult patients were diagnosed with IBD over one year:218 with ulcerative colitis(UC,64.3%),115 with Crohn's disease(CD,33.9%)and 6 with IBD unclassified(1.8%).The crude incidence of IBD,UC and CD was 17.0/100000,11.3/100000 and 5.3/100000 respectively.The age adjusted incidence of IBD and UC were significantly higher in the Indian group(25.2/100000 and 20.5/100000)compared to White European(14.9/100000,P=0.009 and 8.2/100000,P<0.001)and Pakistani groups(14.9/100000,P=0.001 and 11.2/100000,P=0.007).The Indian group were significantly more likely to have extensive disease than White Europeans(52.7%vs 41.7%,P=0.031).There was no significant difference in time to diagnosis,disease activity and treatment.CONCLUSION This is the only prospective study to report the incidence of IBD in an ethnically diverse United Kingdom population.The Indian ethnic group showed the highest age-adjusted incidence of UC(20.5/100000).Further studies on dietary,microbial and metabolic factors that might explain these findings in UC are underway.

Elderly patients and inflammatory bowel disease

The incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) is increasing globally. Coupled with an ageing population, the number of older patients with IBD is set to increase. The clinical features and therapeutic options in young and elderly patients are comparable but there are some significant differences. The wide differential diagnosis of IBD in elderly patients may result in a delay in diagnosis. The relative dearth of data specific to elderly IBD patients often resulting from their exclusion from pivotal clinical trials and the lack of consensus guidelines have made clinical decisions somewhat challenging. In addition, age specific concerns such as co-morbidity; locomotor and cognitive function, poly-pharmacy and its consequences need to be taken into account. In applying modern treatment paradigms to the elderly, the clinician must consider the potential for more pronounced adverse effects in this vulnerable group and set appropriate boundaries maximising benefit and minimising harm. Meanwhile, clinicians need to make personalised decisions but as evidence based as possible in the holistic, considered and optimal management of IBD in elderly patients. In this review we will cover the clinical features and therapeutic options of IBD in the elderly; as well as addressing common questions and challenges posed by its management.

First United Arab Emirates consensus on diagnosis and management of inflammatory bowel diseases:A 2020 Delphi consensus

Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are the main entities of inflammatory bowel disease characterized by chronic remittent inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.The incidence and prevalence are on the rise worldwide,and the heterogeneity between patients and within individuals over time is striking.The progressive advance in our understanding of the etiopathogenesis coupled with an unprecedented increase in therapeutic options have changed the management towards evidence-based interventions by clinicians with patients.This guideline was stimulated and supported by the Emirates Gastroenterology and Hepatology Society following a systematic review and a Delphi consensus process that provided evidence-and expert opinion-based recommendations.Comprehensive up-to-date guidance is provided regarding diagnosis,evaluation of disease severity,appropriate and timely use of different investigations,choice of appropriate therapy for induction and remission phase according to disease severity,and management of main complications.

Continuous quality improvement of colorectal cancer screening

Quality assurance is a key issue in colorectal cancer screening, because effective screening is able to improve primary prevention of the cancer. The quality measure may be described in terms:how well the screening test tells who truly has a disease (sensitivity) and who truly does not have a disease (specificity). This paper raises concerns about identification of the optimal screening test for colorectal cancer. Colonoscopy vs flexible sigmoidoscopy in colorectal cancer screening has been a source of ongoing debate. A multicentre randomised controlled trial comparing flexible sigmoidoscopy with usual care showed that flexible sigmoidoscopy screening is able to diminish the incidence of distal and proximal colorectal cancer, and also mortality related to the distal colorectal cancer. However, colonoscopy provides a more complete examination and remains the more sensitive exam than flexible sigmoidoscopy. Moreover, colonoscopy with polypectomy significantly reduces colorectal cancer incidence and colorectal cancer-related mortality in the general population. The article considers the relative merits of both methods and stresses an ethical aspect of patient's involvement in decision-making. Patients should be informed not only about tests tolerability and risk of endoscopy complications, but also that different screening tests for bowel cancer have different strength to exclude colonic cancer and polyps. The authorities calculate effectiveness and costs of the screening tests, but patients may not be interested in statistics regarding flexible sigmoidoscopy screening and from an ethical point of view, they have the right to chose colonoscopy, which is able to exclude a cancer and precancerous lesions in the whole large bowel.