EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PROFILE AND CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE IN JORDAN

Although there is little epidemiological data from developing countries about the incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), its rates are increasing, indicating its appearance as a global disease. A retrospective chart review of all patients diagnosed with IBD in a gastrointestinal clinic in Central Jordan was carried out. Sixty-four patients with IBD were identified. Data collected include patients' characteristics, clinical presentation, endoscopic findings, histopathologies, and medical treatment. The age at diagnosis was between 20–30 years in both UC and CD. The female to male ratio was 2.67 for UC patients and 0.71 for CD patients. Patients with UC presented mainly with hematochezia (81.8%), while those with CD complained of abdominal pain (83.3%), and 13.6% of UC patients and16.7% of CD patients reported extra intestinal manifestations. The area most involved was the left colon in UC (40.9%) and ileocolitis in CD patients (54.1%). The demographic and clinical presentation of IBD is the same as in other developing countries. While IBD is no longer a rare disease in Jordan, the epidemiological profile of IBD in Jordan is still unknown. Concerns with the etiology and the role of an increasingly Westernized life style may be associated with the continuing rise in IBD and warrants further study.