BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the pediatric population that suffered from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the Czech Republic and to determine the incidence of Crohn disease (CD) in children up to 15 years age between 1990 and 2001. METHODS: Diagnostic criteria for CD, ulcerative colitis (UC), and indeterminate colitis (IC) were defined. Medical records provided a source of basic information about the children. A standardized protocol was filled out and sent to the coordinator of the study. All protocols were checked to see whether the data corresponded to the defined criteria and then were processed further. The study was retrospective in character for the years 1990 to 1999 and prospective for the years 2000 and 2001. RESULTS: Diagnostic criteria were met in 470 patients with IBD; 201 of them turned 18 years old during the study period. CD was diagnosed in 223 patients. The incidence of CD in children up to 15 years of age increased from 0.25/100,000 in 1990 to 1.25/100,000 in 2001. Eighty-two percent of children with CD were treated with aminosalicylates in combination with corticosteroids; 29% of patients received azathioprine. Severe growth retardation was recorded in 6.4% of adolescents with CD at the age of 18. UC was diagnosed in 202 patients. Therapy with aminosalicylates only was sufficient for control of the disease in 23% patients; 68% children were treated with corticosteroids, 15 of them (23% of the whole group) received additional azathioprine. Criteria for IC were met in 9.8% of all patients with IBD. CONCLUSION: This study confirmed an increase in incidence of CD in children younger than 15 years in the Czech Republic.

Department of Pediatrics Charles University Teaching Hospital 500 05 Hradec Kralove Czech Republic