Impact of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease on linear growth: Data from a national cohort study in Saudi Arabia

• Published in: Saudi journal of gastroenterology Vol. 22; no. 2; pp. 106 - 108
• Main Authors: El Mouzan, Mohammad, Al Mofarreh, Mohammad, Saadah, Omar, Al-Hussaini, Abdulrahman, Al-Saleem, Khalid, Al Mehaidib, Ali
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: India Wolters Kluwer - Medknow Publications 01.03.2016; Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt. Ltd; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd; Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
• Subjects: Adolescent; Age; Age Factors; Analysis; Care and treatment; Child; Child development; Child, Preschool; Cohort Studies; Complications and side effects; Developing countries; Development and progression; Female; Gastrointestinal diseases; Growth; Growth Disorders - epidemiology; Growth Disorders - physiopathology; Growth impairment; Humans; Infant; Inflammatory bowel disease; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases - epidemiology; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases - physiopathology; LDCs; Male; Original; Pediatrics; Prevalence studies (Epidemiology); Retrospective Studies; Saudi Arabia - epidemiology; Saudi children; Sex Factors; short stature; Studies; Teenagers; Saudi Arabia; United States; Saudi children; short stature; Growth impairment; inflammatory bowel disease
• DOI: 10.4103/1319-3767.178524
• ISSN: 1319-3767; 1998-4049

Background/Aim: Linear growth impairment (LGI) is one of the most important features peculiar to children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The aim of this report is to define the impact of IBD on the linear growth of children in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Setting and Design: Multicenter retrospective study. Patients and Methods: Data from a cohort of newly- diagnosed children with IBD from 2003 to 2012 were analyzed retrospectively. The diagnosis of IBD was confirmed in accordance with the published criteria. Length/height for age was measured at diagnosis. The World Health Organization (WHO) reference was used and LGI was defined by length/height for age <-2 standard deviation. Chi-square test was used to test the significance of estimates and a P < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: There were 374 children from 0.33 to 16 years of age, including 119 ulcerative colitis (UC) (32%), and 255 Crohn's disease (CD) (68%) patients. The prevalence of LGI was 26%, 28%, and 21% in IBD, CD, and UC, respectively. In children below 10 years, LGI was significantly more common in CD (P = 0.010), while in UC children, it was more common in older children (P = 0.011). Conclusion: This study demonstrates a prevalence of LGI consistent with that reported in the literature, but higher in CD children with early onset (<10 years) and in older children with UC, underscoring the importance of monitoring growth in children with IBD in the Saudi population. Prospective studies are needed to define the impact of IBD on growth velocity, puberty, and final adult stature.