Incidence of inflammatory bowel disease in Kaunas region, Lithuania.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease in Kaunas and its region during a 3-year period.

Material And Methods: The study was conducted during the 3-year period (2007-2009) and enrolled the patients from Kaunas with its region, which has a population of 381,300 inhabitants. The data were collected from all practices in the area where the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease was made by practicing gastroenterologists and consulting pediatricians along with endoscopists. Only new cases of inflammatory bowel disease were included into analysis. The diagnosis of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease was strictly made according to the Copenhagen criteria. Age- and sex-standardized incidence was calculated for each year of the study period.

Results: A total of 108 new inflammatory bowel disease cases were diagnosed during the study period: 87 had ulcerative colitis, 16 Crohn's disease, and 5 indeterminate colitis. The incidence of ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, and indeterminate colitis for each study year was 6.85, 5.33, and 7.38 per 100,000; 0.95, 1.11, and 1.57 per 100,000; and 0.47, 0.21, and 0.42 per 100,000, respectively. The average 3-year standardized incidence of ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, and indeterminate colitis was 6.52, 1.21, and 0.37 per 100,000, respectively. The mean patients' age at onset of ulcerative colitis, indeterminate colitis, and Crohn's disease was 49.95 (SD, 17.03), 49.80 (SD, 17.71), and 34.94 years (SD, 0.37), respectively.

Conclusions: The average 3-year incidence of ulcerative colitis in Kaunas region was found to be lower as compared with that in many parts of Central and Western Europe. The incidence of Crohn's disease was low and very similar to other countries of Eastern Europe. Age at onset of the diseases appeared to be older than that reported in the Western industrialized countries.