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©2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Dec 14, 2014; 20(46): 17525-17531
Published online Dec 14, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i46.17525
Published online Dec 14, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i46.17525
Clinical epidemiology of ulcerative colitis in Arabs based on the Montréal classification
Othman R Alharbi, Nahla A Azzam, Majid A Almadi, Khalid A Alswat, Nazia Sadaf, Abdulrahman M Aljebreen, Gastroenterology Division, King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University, Riyadh 11461, Saudi Arabia
Ahmed S Almalki, Gastroenterology Division, Riyadh Military Hospital, Riyadh 11461, Saudi Arabia
Majid A Almadi, Gastroenterology Division, the McGill University Health Center, Montréal General Hospital, McGill University, Montréal H3A 1W9, Canada
Author contributions: The work presented here was carried out in collaboration between all the authors; Alharbi OR defined the research theme and authored the manuscript; Azzam NA, Almadi MA and Almalki AS designed the methods, analyzed the data and interpreted the results; Alsawat KA and Sadaf N were involved in the editing of the manuscript; the paper was critically reviewed and finalized by Aljebreen AM, Almadi MA and Alharbi OR; all the authors gave approval for the final version of the manuscript; Alharbi OR is responsible for the integrity of this study from its conception to publication.
Correspondence to: Othman R Alharbi, MD, FRCPC, Gastroenterology Division, Internal Medicine Department, King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University, PO Box 2925, Riyadh 11461, Saudi Arabia. ohmanalharbi@ksu.edu.sa
Telephone: +966-1-4671192 Fax: +966-1-4671217
Received: May 18, 2014
Revised: June 26, 2014
Accepted: July 29, 2014
Published online: December 14, 2014
Revised: June 26, 2014
Accepted: July 29, 2014
Published online: December 14, 2014
Core Tip
Core tip: Despite several reports suggesting an increase in the incidence of ulcerative colitis (UC) among Arabs in recent years, there is insufficient information about it, particularly in Saudi Arabia. Our aim was to determine the clinical, epidemiological and phenotypic characteristics of UC in Saudi Arabia by studying the largest cohort of Arab UC patients. We found that UC has a relatively higher incidence in Saudi Arabia and the majority of UC cases are diagnosed in young people (17-40 years), with a male preponderance.