Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic debilitating illness entailing high costs through complications such as hospitalization and surgery. Accumulating evidences point to an increase in the incidence of IBD in developing countries. The aim of the present study was to investigate the outcome and clinical trends of IBD in Golestan province, Northeastern Iran.

In this cross-sectional study, we assessed 101 patients with IBD, registered in Golestan Research Center of Gastroenterology & Hepatology (GRCGH). After obtaining informed consent, information regarding epidemiological characteristics, disease diagnosis, course of the disease, history of hospitalization and surgery related to IBD and its complications, prescribed drugs and changes in medications, and performed procedures was gathered. Data were analyzed using SPSS© software, version 16, with the significance level set at 0.05.

In 81 out of 101 patients (80.2%), the diagnosis was ulcerative colitis (UC), and in 18 (17.8%), Crohn’s disease (CD), 39 (38.6%) had a history of hospitalization due to IBD, and 14 (13.9%) had undergone surgery. The mean duration of the disease in those with a history of hospitalization was 8 (±7) years, and in the patients without such a history, it was 5 (±5) years (P=0.014). Among CD patients, 9 (50%) had a history of hospitalization, while it was 28 (35%) in UC (P=0.283). In total, 33 (32.7%) of the patients had switched drugs during their course of treatment.

Our findings emphasize the burden of IBD in the population under study by revealing the considerable rate of hospitalization and surgery among the patients.