Resumen

RODRIGUEZ-CASTRO, Kryssia Isabel; GUTIERREZ-RAMIREZ, Carolina  y  AVENDANO-ALVARADO, Gerardo. Epidemiological description and treatment of Crohn’s disease patients. Acta méd. costarric [online]. 2013, vol.55, n.4, pp.182-187. ISSN 0001-6002.

Background: Crohn’s disease is a chronic granulomatous inflammatory entity that can affect the entire gastrointestinal tract. It is being diagnosed with increased frequency in our medium, and constitutes an important cause of morbimortality in affected patients. The objective of this study is to determine the disease’s prevalence, its frequent clinical manifestations, the various treatments used and the clinical response to such treatments. Methods: The medical records of all patients with a diagnosis of Crohns disease who were evaluated during 2009 at the Gastroenterology Department of a tertiary center, the “Dr. Rafael A. Calderón Guardia” Hospital, were reviewed. Results: Out of a total of 28 patients, only three cases were diagnosed in the 1990-2000 decade, while the remaining 25 cases were diagnosed between 2001 to 2009. Sixty percent of the diagnosed cases correspond to male patients. The population studied had an age distribution from 17 to 72 years, with an average and median age of 39 years. Eighty-two percent of the patients are receiving maintenance therapy with aminosalicylates, while 62% also uses AZA, 6-MP or MTX; 51% is on systemic steroid therapy and only seven patients received infliximab. Patients who required surgical treatment at some point amounted to 68%, and remission was achieved in 96% of patients. Conclusion: The prevalence of Crohn’s disease seems to be increasing, and when pharmacological therapy fails, patients may require surgical treatment.

Palabras clave : Crohn’s disease; gastrointestinal fistula; colectomy.

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