Incidence of Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Finland: An Environmental Study

Higher incidence of paediatric inflammatory bowel disease by increasing latitude in Norway, but stable incidence by age

AIM

To examine possible geographical and temporal differences in the incidence of childhood-onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Norway, motivated by previous research indicating relevant environmental factors explaining changing epidemiology.

METHODS

We analysed data from children born in Norway from 2004 to 2012 (n = 541 036) in a registry-based nationwide study. After validating registry diagnoses against medical records, we defined IBD as ≥2 entries of International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10) codes K50, K51 and K52.3 in the Norwegian Patient registry. We estimated hazard ratios (HR) for IBD across four geographical regions with a south-to-north gradient and the incidence by period of birth.

RESULTS

By the end of follow-up on 31 December 2020, 799 IBD diagnoses were identified (Crohn's disease: n = 465; ulcerative colitis, n = 293, IBD: unclassified, n = 41). Compared to children in the southernmost region, there was almost a two-fold HR for IBD in children in the most Northern region (HR = 1.94, 95% Cl = 1.47-2.57; Mid region: HR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.29-2.19, ptrend <0.001). These estimates remained largely unchanged after adjustment for potential confounding factors. The cohorts born in 2004-2006 and 2010-2012 had comparable cumulative incidences, with a slightly higher incidence for those born in 2007-2009.

CONCLUSION

We observed an increase in the risk of IBD by increasing latitude which may suggest that environmental factors influence the development of IBD, although non-causal explanations cannot be ruled out.

Clustering of pediatric onset inflammatory bowel disease in Finland: a nationwide register-based study

BACKGROUND

The incidence of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (PIBD) has increased dramatically during the past decades. This implies involvement of environmental factors in etiology but lends no clues about specific agents. We evaluated clustering in time and place of residence at PIBD onset using a case-control setting with comprehensive nationwide register data.

METHODS

We included all PIBD cases diagnosed at ages < 18 years during 1992-2017 (3748 cases; median age of 14.6; 2316 (58%) with ulcerative colitis (UC), 1432 with Crohn's, and 18,740 age- and sex-matched controls) and constructed complete residential histories (including coordinates) from the national database until the date of the diagnosis of the case assigned as index date for the controls. Using the coordinates of the addresses of the subjects and the diagnosis/index dates, we evaluated clustering in time and place using the Knox test. Four temporal (2, 4, 6, 12 months) and four distance (0.25, 0.5, 1, 5 km) thresholds were used, and results were calculated separately for Crohn´s disease and UC. Similar analyses were conducted using the addresses at birth and the addresses five years before the diagnosis or index date. Based on the threshold values displaying the most clustering in the Knox test, logistic regression models were built to identify whether sex, age at diagnosis or the year of diagnosis affected the probability of belonging to a cluster. To analyze clustering in time and place throughout the residential histories, we used Jacquez's Q with an open-access python program pyjacqQ.

RESULTS

The mean number of residencies until the index date was 2.91 for cases and 3.05 for controls (p = 0.0003). Knox test indicated residential clustering for UC with thresholds of 500 m between locations and time-period of four months (p = 0.004). In the regression analysis, sex, age at diagnosis or year of UC diagnosis did not show differences between the clustered and other cases. Jacquez Q analyses showed higher than expected frequency of clustered cases throughout residential histories (p < 10^- 8).

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that the incidence of PIBD, especially of UC, exhibits clustering in locations of residencies over time. For the clustered cases, environmental triggers warrant future studies.

Racial and Ethnic Variation in Presentation, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Outcome of Pediatric Crohn Disease: A Single Center Study

OBJECTIVES

Disparities in health care for racial/ethnic minority children in the United States who are burdened by pediatric Crohn's disease (PCD) are not well understood.

METHODS

A retrospective review of the Texas Children's Hospital ImproveCareNow database from 2007 to 2015 was performed. CD patients with a minimum of 2-year follow-up were included if the onset of symptoms attributable to inflammatory bowel disease was clearly documented. We primarily aimed to identify race and ethnicity associations in diagnostic delay, presentation, treatment, and 2-year outcomes. We also examined early versus late diagnosis (ie, over 6 months from disease onset) associations with these variables unrelated to race/ethnicity.

RESULTS

One hundred and sixty-six PCD patients [57.8% non-Hispanic White (NH-White), 18.1% African American (AA), and 15.7% Hispanic] met selection criteria. Time to diagnosis was shorter in Hispanic patients ( P < 0.01) and they were older at diagnosis than NH-White patients ( P = 0.0164). AA patients (33%, P < 0.01) and Hispanic patients (35%, P < 0.05) had lower rates of granuloma detection than NH-White patients (63%). AA patients had lower rates of steroid-free remission (SFR) at 2 years than NH-White patients ( P < 0.05). Higher ESR and lower hemoglobin levels were associated with early diagnosis ( P < 0.01). Early diagnosis was associated with higher rates of surgery within 2 years of diagnosis ( P < 0.05). Diagnostic fecal calprotectin levels inversely associated with SFR at 2 years ( P < 0.05). Early use of biologics positively, and early use of corticosteroids negatively correlated with 2-year SFR ( P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Race and ethnicity may influence the diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of PCD. This recognition presents a nidus toward establishing equity in PCD care.

Ambient Air Pollution and Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: An Updated Scoping Review

To review and discuss recent findings on the associations between pediatric/early-life exposures to ambient air pollution and the risk of pediatric-onset inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). A scoping review was conducted using the Peters Micah et al. framework. We searched, selected, extracted, and reviewed information from published peer-reviewed papers from three bibliographic databases, chosen to cover a broad range of disciplines. Limits on date (last decade), language, and subject were placed on the database search. The search identified 109 papers from 2010 to June 2021. After screening, we identified nine articles with data on air pollution as a risk factor for IBD, but only four epidemiologic studies directly investigated the association between air pollution and IBD development in children and young adults. These four papers show that air pollution components have different associations with pediatric IBD (pIBD) incidence. Consequently, sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and the oxidant capacity of air pollution (O_x) were positively associated with pIBD incidence, whereas the association effects of particulate matter (PM) and ozone (O₃) exposures were not clear. Despite good scientific rationale and some studies, the evidence on the role that air pollution has in IBD development is limited, highlighting the need for further investigation. Future studies should include the epidemiology of air pollutants and its sources, identifying and understanding mechanisms linking air pollution and pIBD, and identifying signatures of biological responses to air pollutants.

Exploitation of Marine-Derived Robust Biological Molecules to Manage Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Naturally occurring biological entities with extractable and tunable structural and functional characteristics, along with therapeutic attributes, are of supreme interest for strengthening the twenty-first-century biomedical settings. Irrespective of ongoing technological and clinical advancement, traditional medicinal practices to address and manage inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are inefficient and the effect of the administered therapeutic cues is limited. The reasonable immune response or invasion should also be circumvented for successful clinical translation of engineered cues as highly efficient and robust bioactive entities. In this context, research is underway worldwide, and researchers have redirected or regained their interests in valorizing the naturally occurring biological entities/resources, for example, algal biome so-called "treasure of untouched or underexploited sources". Algal biome from the marine environment is an immense source of excellence that has also been demonstrated as a source of bioactive compounds with unique chemical, structural, and functional features. Moreover, the molecular modeling and synthesis of new drugs based on marine-derived therapeutic and biological cues can show greater efficacy and specificity for the therapeutics. Herein, an effort has been made to cover the existing literature gap on the exploitation of naturally occurring biological entities/resources to address and efficiently manage IBD. Following a brief background study, a focus was given to design characteristics, performance evaluation of engineered cues, and point-of-care IBD therapeutics of diverse bioactive compounds from the algal biome. Noteworthy potentialities of marine-derived biologically active compounds have also been spotlighted to underlying the impact role of bio-active elements with the related pathways. The current review is also focused on the applied standpoint and clinical translation of marine-derived bioactive compounds. Furthermore, a detailed overview of clinical applications and future perspectives are also given in this review.

Incidence and Prevalence Trends of Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease in the Daegu-Kyungpook Province From 2017 to 2020

Background and Aim: There is paucity of data regarding the epidemiology of pediatric IBD in Asia compared to that of Western countries. We aimed to investigate the incidence and prevalence trends of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the Daegu-Kyungpook province of South Korea from 2017 to 2020. Methods: This study was a multicenter, retrospective study conducted in eight IBD referral centers located in the Daegu-Kyungpook province. Children and adolescents of ≤18 years who were initially diagnosed with IBD between 2017 and 2020 were included. The annual number of children and adolescents newly diagnosed with IBD and the annual resident population of children and adolescents ≤18 years of age in the Daegu-Kyungpook province were investigated to calculate the annual incidence and prevalence in the region. Results: A total 304 children and adolescents that had been diagnosed with IBD were included in this study. Among these patients, 71.4% had been diagnosed with Crohn's disease (CD), and 28.6% with ulcerative colitis (UC). The population based annual incidences of IBD from 2017 to 2020 were each 7.24, 6.82, 10.27, and 13.33 per 100,000, respectively (P for trend <0.001), 4.48, 5.26, 7.39, and 9.8 per 100,000, respectively, for CD (P for trend <0.001), and 2.76, 1.56, 2.88, and 3.53 per 100,000, respectively, for UC (P for trend = 0.174). Conclusion: Pediatric IBD, especially CD has significantly increased recently in the Daegu-Kyungpook province. Epidemiology studies from other regions of Asia are required to better elucidate this trend of increase in Asia.

Geographic Variation and Bias in the Polygenic Scores of Complex Diseases and Traits in Finland

Polygenic scores (PSs) are becoming a useful tool to identify individuals with high genetic risk for complex diseases, and several projects are currently testing their utility for translational applications. It is also tempting to use PSs to assess whether genetic variation can explain a part of the geographic distribution of a phenotype. However, it is not well known how the population genetic properties of the training and target samples affect the geographic distribution of PSs. Here, we evaluate geographic differences, and related biases, of PSs in Finland in a geographically well-defined sample of 2,376 individuals from the National FINRISK study. First, we detect geographic differences in PSs for coronary artery disease (CAD), rheumatoid arthritis, schizophrenia, waist-hip ratio (WHR), body-mass index (BMI), and height, but not for Crohn disease or ulcerative colitis. Second, we use height as a model trait to thoroughly assess the possible population genetic biases in PSs and apply similar approaches to the other phenotypes. Most importantly, we detect suspiciously large accumulations of geographic differences for CAD, WHR, BMI, and height, suggesting bias arising from the population's genetic structure rather than from a direct genotype-phenotype association. This work demonstrates how sensitive the geographic patterns of current PSs are for small biases even within relatively homogeneous populations and provides simple tools to identify such biases. A thorough understanding of the effects of population genetic structure on PSs is essential for translational applications of PSs.

Swedish Children's Lived Experience of Ulcerative Colitis

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing in children. When this lifelong illness is diagnosed in childhood, especially during adolescence, it may have a negative impact on children's quality of life. The aim of the present study was to illuminate the meaning of children's lived experience of ulcerative colitis. Seven children aged between 10 and 18 years were recruited from University Hospital South Sweden and interviewed about the phenomenon under scrutiny. Data were analyzed by means of a phenomenological hermeneutical method. The meaning of the children's lived experience of ulcerative colitis was summed up as a main theme. A daily struggle to adapt and be perceived as normal consisted of 4 subthemes: being healthy despite the symptoms, being healthy despite being afraid, being healthy despite a sense of being different, and being healthy despite needing support. The children strove to perceive themselves as healthy, and they needed to be perceived as healthy, especially when experiencing symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease. Children with inflammatory bowel disease confront various problems, such as ambitions and goals that are hard to achieve, due to reduced abilities as a result of the illness or an insufficiently adapted environment.

Current global trends in the incidence of pediatric-onset inflammatory bowel disease

AIM

To perform a comprehensive review and provide an up-to-date synopsis of the incidence and trends of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

METHODS

We systematically searched the MEDLINE (source PubMed), EMBASE and Cochrane Library databases in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (period: 1985-2018) to identify studies reporting population-based data on the incidence of pediatric-onset (< 19 years at diagnosis) IBD in full manuscripts. Two authors carried out screening and data extraction. Choropleth interactive maps and temporal trends were used to illustrate the international differences and incidences of and changes in IBD and subtypes.

RESULTS

In total, one hundred forty studies reporting data from 38 countries were considered in this review. The highest annual pediatric incidences of IBD were 23/100000 person-years in Europe, 15.2/100000 in North America, and 11.4/100000 in Asia/the Middle East and Oceania. The highest annual incidences of Crohn's disease (CD) were 13.9/100000 in North America and 12.3/100000 in Europe. The highest annual incidences of ulcerative colitis (UC) were 15.0/100000 in Europe and 10.6/100000 in North America. The highest annual incidences of IBD-unclassified (IBD-U) were 3.6/100000 in Europe and 2.1/100000 in North America. In the time-trend analyses, 67% of CD, 46% of UC and 11% of IBD-U studies reported an increasing incidence (P < 0.05). The risk of IBD is increasing among first-generation of migrant populations.

CONCLUSION

Globally, the incidence of IBD varies greatly by geographical areas. The steadily increasing incidence of pediatric IBD over time indicates its emergence as a global disease, suggesting that studies should investigate the environmental risk factors among pediatric cohorts.

Paediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Clinical Presentation and Disease Location

Objective:

To determine different clinical presentationsand disease location demarcatedby upper and lower gastrointestinal endoscopyand relevant histopathologyin children diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Methods:

This is 5 years (2010 to 2015) retrospective studyconducted at the Aga Khan University Hospitalenrolling65admitted children between 6 months to 15years from either gender, diagnosed with IBD on clinical presentation, endoscopy and biopsy. Different clinical presentations at the time of diagnosis were noted in different categories of the disease. All patients underwent upper and lower (up to the terminal ileum) endoscopy with multiple punch biopsies and histologic assessment of mucosal specimens. All endoscopies were done by paediatric gastroenterologists at endoscopy suite of the hospital and all specimens were reported by the pathology department. ESPGHAN revised criteria for the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease in children and an adolescent was used to standardize our diagnosis. Extent of disease on endoscopy and relevant histopathology of the biopsy samples were noted at the time of diagnosis. Data was summarized using mean, standard deviation, numbers and percentages for different variables.

Results:

Total 56 children were enrolled according to inclusion criteria. There were 34children (61.53%) diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC), 10 patients (16.92%) had Crohn’sDisease (CD) and 11 (21.53%) patients were labeled as Indeterminate colitis (IC). Mean age at onset of symptoms was10.03±2.44 and mean age at diagnosis was11.10±2.36. Abdominal pain (80%) and chronic diarrhea (70%) were common symptoms in CD whereas bloody diarrhea (79.41%) and rectal bleeding(64.70%)were common presentation in UC. Patients diagnosed with indeterminate colitis(IC) had similar clinical features as in UC patients. Only 7% patients had some extra-intestinal features in the form of joint pain and/or uveitis. Aspartate aminotransferase level (95.18 ±12.89) was relatively high in patients withCD in comparison with other categories of IBD. Endoscopic findings and relevant histopathology of biopsy samples in UC showed 65% patient had pan-colitis and 13 % with disease restricted to rectum only whereas in CD 70% patient had disease in ileo-colon and only 10 % had involvement of ileum at the time diagnosis.

Conclusion:

Patients with UC dominated in our cohort. The most common clinical presentation in UC was bloody diarrhea and rectal bleeding and patients with CDhad abdominal pain and chronic diarrhea as predominant clinical features. Extraintestinal features were uncommon in our cohort. In endoscopic findings, pan-colitis was the mostfrequentfinding in UC and ileo-colonwas common location in CD. IC and UC shared common clinical features and disease location on endoscopy.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Incidence is on the Continuous Rise Among All Paediatric Patients Except for the Very Young: A Nationwide Registry-based Study on 28-Year Follow-up

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The burden of inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] in health care is high. We conducted research on the temporal changes in the incidence of paediatric IBD [PIBD] using nationwide registry-based data in Finland.

METHODS

All PIBD cases diagnosed at less than 20 years of age during 1987-2014 [in total, 5415 patients] were retrieved from a database documenting reimbursements for drug costs. Incidence rates were calculated by dividing the number of annual new PIBD cases by the size of the paediatric population at risk during each calendar year. Temporal trends in the incidences of PIBD and its subtypes, ulcerative colitis [UC] and Crohn's disease [CD], were estimated using Poisson regression analyses.

RESULTS

The mean annual incidence of PIBD increased from 7/100000 for the years 1987-1990 to 23/100000 for the years 2011-2014. The average rate of increase was 4.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.6-4.5) per annum. In the period 2000-2014, the increase rate in the annual incidence of UC [3.8%; 95% CI: 2.7-5.0], was steeper than for CD [2.5%; 95% CI: 1.0-3.8]. The most pronounced increase occurred in UC among adolescents aged 16-19 years [4.8%; 95% CI: 2.9-6.7]. For children less than 10 years of age, the rate of change remained low. Approximately 0.17% of the birth cohort for the years 1999-2000 was diagnosed with PIBD by the age of 14 years.

CONCLUSION

The incidence of PIBD is primarily increasing among adolescents, challenging the identification of the possible environmental triggers for the disease.