Natalie A. Molodecky

Increasing incidence and prevalence of the inflammatory bowel diseases with time, based on systematic review.

BACKGROUND & AIMS We conducted a systematic review to determine changes in the worldwide incidence and prevalence of ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohns disease (CD) in different regions and with time. METHODS We performed a systematic literature search of MEDLINE (1950-2010; 8103 citations) and EMBASE (1980-2010; 4975 citations) to identify studies that were population based, included data that could be used to calculate incidence and prevalence, and reported separate data on UC and/or CD in full manuscripts (n = 260). We evaluated data from 167 studies from Europe (1930-2008), 52 studies from Asia and the Middle East (1950-2008), and 27 studies from North America (1920-2004). Maps were used to present worldwide differences in the incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs); time trends were determined using joinpoint regression. RESULTS The highest annual incidence of UC was 24.3 per 100,000 person-years in Europe, 6.3 per 100,000 person-years in Asia and the Middle East, and 19.2 per 100,000 person-years in North America. The highest annual incidence of CD was 12.7 per 100,000 person-years in Europe, 5.0 person-years in Asia and the Middle East, and 20.2 per 100,000 person-years in North America. The highest reported prevalence values for IBD were in Europe (UC, 505 per 100,000 persons; CD, 322 per 100,000 persons) and North America (UC, 249 per 100,000 persons; CD, 319 per 100,000 persons). In time-trend analyses, 75% of CD studies and 60% of UC studies had an increasing incidence of statistical significance (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS Although there are few epidemiologic data from developing countries, the incidence and prevalence of IBD are increasing with time and in different regions around the world, indicating its emergence as a global disease.

Incidence of primary sclerosing cholangitis: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Incidence studies of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) are important for describing the diseases burden and for shedding light on the diseases etiology. The purposes of this study were to conduct a systematic review of the incidence studies of PSC with a meta‐analysis and to investigate possible geographic variations and temporal trends in the incidence of the disease. A systematic literature search of MEDLINE (1950‐2010) and Embase (1980‐2010) was conducted to identify studies investigating the incidence of PSC. The incidence of PSC was summarized with an incidence rate (IR) and 95% confidence intervals. The test of heterogeneity was performed with the Q statistic. Secondary variables extracted from the articles included the following: the method of case ascertainment, the country, the time period, the age, the male/female incidence rate ratio (IRR), and the incidence of PSC subtypes (small‐duct or large‐duct PSC and inflammatory bowel disease). Stratified and sensitivity analyses were performed to explore heterogeneity between studies and to assess effects of study quality. Time trends were used to explore differences in the incidence across time. The search retrieved 1669 potentially eligible citations; 8 studies met the inclusion criteria. According to a random‐effects model, the pooled IR was 0.77 (0.45‐1.09) per 100,000 person‐years. However, significant heterogeneity was observed between studies (P < 0.001). Sensitivity analyses excluding non–population‐based studies increased the overall IR to 1.00 (0.82‐1.17) and eliminated the heterogeneity between studies (P = 0.08). The IRR for males versus females was 1.70 (1.34‐2.07), and the median age was 41 years (35‐47 years). All studies investigating time trends reported an overall increase in the incidence of PSC. Conclusion: The incidence of PSC is similar in North American and European countries and continues to increase over time. Incidence data from developing countries are lacking, and this limits our understanding of the global incidence of PSC. (HEPATOLOGY 2011;)

Decreasing Colectomy Rates for Ulcerative Colitis: A Population-Based Time Trend Study

OBJECTIVES:Colectomy rates for ulcerative colitis (UC) have been inconsistently reported. We assessed temporal trends of colectomy rates for UC, stratified by emergent vs. elective colectomy indication.METHODS:From 1997 to 2009, we identified adults hospitalized for a flare of UC. Medical charts were reviewed. Temporal changes were evaluated using linear regression models to estimate the average annual percent change (AAPC) in surgical rates. Logistic regression analysis compared: (i) UC patients responding to medical management in hospital to those who underwent colectomy; (ii) UC patients who underwent an emergent vs. elective colectomy; and (iii) temporal trends of drug utilization.RESULTS:From 1997 to 2009, colectomy rates significantly dropped for elective colectomies with an AAPC of −7.4% (95% confidence interval (CI): −10.8%, −3.9%). The rate of emergent colectomies remained stable with an AAPC of −1.4% (95% CI: −4.8%, 2.0%). Azathioprine/6-mercaptopurine prescriptions increased from 1997 to 2009 (odds ratio (OR)=1.15; 95% CI: 1.09–1.22) and infliximab use increased after 2005 (OR=1.68; 95% CI: 1.25–2.26). A 13% per year risk adjusted reduction in the odds of colectomy (OR=0.87; 95% CI: 0.83–0.92) was observed in UC patients responding to medical management compared with those who required colectomy. Emergent colectomy patients had a shorter duration of flare (<2 weeks vs. 2–8 weeks, OR=5.31; 95% CI: 1.58–17.81) and underwent colectomy early after diagnosis (<1 year vs. 1–3 years, OR=5.48; 95% CI: 2.18–13.79).CONCLUSIONS:From 1997 to 2009, use of purine anti-metabolites increased and elective colectomy rates in UC patients decreased significantly. In contrast, emergent colectomy rates were stable, which may have been due to rapid progression of disease activity.

The relationship between urban environment and the inflammatory bowel diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundThe objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review with meta-analysis of studies assessing the association between living in an urban environment and the development of the Crohn’s disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC).MethodsA systematic literature search of MEDLINE (1950-Oct. 2009) and EMBASE (1980-Oct. 2009) was conducted to identify studies investigating the relationship between urban environment and IBD. Cohort and case–control studies were analyzed using incidence rate ratio (IRR) or odds ratio (OR) with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs), respectively. Stratified and sensitivity analyses were performed to explore heterogeneity between studies and assess effects of study quality.ResultsThe search strategy retrieved 6940 unique citations and 40 studies were selected for inclusion. Of these, 25 investigated the relationship between urban environment and UC and 30 investigated this relationship with CD. Included in our analysis were 7 case–control UC studies, 9 case–control CD studies, 18 cohort UC studies and 21 cohort CD studies. Based on a random effects model, the pooled IRRs for urban compared to rural environment for UC and CD studies were 1.17 (1.03, 1.32) and 1.42 (1.26, 1.60), respectively. These associations persisted across multiple stratified and sensitivity analyses exploring clinical and study quality factors. Heterogeneity was observed in the cohort studies for both UC and CD, whereas statistically significant heterogeneity was not observed for the case–control studies.ConclusionsA positive association between urban environment and both CD and UC was found. Heterogeneity may be explained by differences in study design and quality factors.

Challenges associated with identifying the environmental determinants of the inflammatory bowel diseases

&NA; In the last several years there has been an explosion in the discovery of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) susceptibility genes; however, similar advances in identifying and defining environmental risk factors associated with IBD have lagged behind. Moreover, many studies that have explored the same or similar environmental risk factors of IBD have demonstrated disparate results and come to conflicting conclusions. In order for the field to move forward, it is important to understand and resolve why these differences exist. This significant heterogeneity has blurred the identification of the fundamental environmental determinants of IBD. The purpose of this review article is to explore the factors that have likely contributed to the heterogeneity among observational studies of environmental risk factors in IBD. In doing so, it is hoped that methodological standardization may lead to consistent environmental associations. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2010)

Upper-gastrointestinal bleeding secondary to peptic ulcer disease: incidence and outcomes.

AIM To evaluate the incidence, surgery, mortality, and readmission of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) secondary to peptic ulcer disease (PUD). METHODS Administrative databases identified all hospitalizations for UGIB secondary to PUD in Alberta, Canada from 2004 to 2010 (n = 7079) using the International Classification of Diseases Codes (ICD-10). A subset of the data was validated using endoscopy reports. Positive predictive value and sensitivity with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Incidence of UGIB secondary to PUD was calculated. Logistic regression was used to evaluate surgery, in-hospital mortality, and 30-d readmission to hospital with recurrent UGIB secondary to PUD. Co-variants accounted for in our logistic regression model included: age, sex, area of residence (i.e., urban vs rural), number of Charlson comorbidities, presence of perforated PUD, undergoing upper endoscopy, year of admission, and interventional radiological attempt at controlling bleeding. A subgroup analysis (n = 6356) compared outcomes of patients with gastric ulcers to those with duodenal ulcers. Adjusted estimates are presented as odds ratios (OR) with 95%CI. RESULTS The positive predictive value and sensitivity of ICD-10 coding for UGIB secondary to PUD were 85.2% (95%CI: 80.2%-90.2%) and 77.1% (95%CI: 69.1%-85.2%), respectively. The annual incidence between 2004 and 2010 ranged from 35.4 to 41.2 per 100000. Overall risk of surgery, in-hospital mortality, and 30-d readmission to hospital for UGIB secondary to PUD were 4.3%, 8.5%, and 4.7%, respectively. Interventional radiology to control bleeding was performed in 0.6% of patients and 76% of these patients avoided surgical intervention. Thirty-day readmission significantly increased from 3.1% in 2004 to 5.2% in 2010 (OR = 1.07; 95%CI: 1.01-1.14). Rural residents (OR rural vs urban: 2.35; 95%CI: 1.83-3.01) and older individuals (OR ≥ 65 vs < 65: 1.57; 95%CI: 1.21-2.04) were at higher odds of being readmitted to hospital. Patients with duodenal ulcers had higher odds of dying (OR = 1.27; 95%CI: 1.05-1.53), requiring surgery (OR = 1.73; 95%CI: 1.34-2.23), and being readmitted to hospital (OR = 1.54; 95%CI: 1.19-1.99) when compared to gastric ulcers. CONCLUSION UGIB secondary to PUD, particularly duodenal ulcers, was associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Early readmissions increased over time and occurred more commonly in rural areas.

The Global Incidence of Appendicitis: A Systematic Review of Population-based Studies.

Objective: We compared the incidence of appendicitis or appendectomy across the world and evaluated temporal trends. Summary Background Data: Population-based studies reported the incidence of appendicitis. Methods: We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE databases for population-based studies reporting the incidence of appendicitis or appendectomy. Time trends were explored using Poisson regression and reported as annual percent change (APC) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). APC were stratified by time periods and pooled using random effects models. Incidence since 2000 was pooled for regions in the Western world. Results: The search retrieved 10,247 citations with 120 studies reporting on the incidence of appendicitis or appendectomy. During the 21st century the pooled incidence of appendicitis or appendectomy (in per 100,000 person-years) was 100 (95% CI: 91, 110) in Northern America, and the estimated number of cases in 2015 was 378,614. The pooled incidence ranged from 105 in Eastern Europe to 151 in Western Europe. In Western countries, the incidence of appendectomy steadily decreased since 1990 (APC after 1989=−1.54; 95% CI: −2.22, −0.86), whereas the incidence of appendicitis stabilized (APC=−0.36; 95% CI: −0.97, 0.26) for both perforated (APC=0.95; 95% CI: −0.25, 2.17) and nonperforated appendicitis (APC=0.44; 95% CI: −0.84, 1.73). In the 21st century, the incidence of appendicitis or appendectomy is high in newly industrialized countries in Asia (South Korea pooled: 206), the Middle East (Turkey pooled: 160), and Southern America (Chile: 202). Conclusions: Appendicitis is a global disease. The incidence of appendicitis is stable in most Western countries. Data from newly industrialized countries is sparse, but suggests that appendicitis is rising rapidly.

Validity of administrative data for the diagnosis of primary sclerosing cholangitis: a population‐based study

Background/Aims: Administrative databases could be useful in studying the epidemiology of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC); however, there is no information regarding the validity of the diagnostic code in administrative databases. The aims of this study were to determine the validity of administrative data for a diagnosis of PSC and generate algorithms for the identification of PSC patients.