BACKGROUND: Many inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) studies have focused on Caucasian patients and little data exist on IBD in Hispanics living in the United States. AIM: The aim of our study was to compare IBD characteristics between Hispanic and Caucasian patients in the Harris County Hospital District (HCHD). METHODS: We identified patients within the HCHD with a diagnosis of Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) recorded during 2000-2006. Primary medical record review was performed to confirm the diagnosis and to abstract data on patient demographics, disease characteristics and treatment. RESULTS: A total of 69 Hispanic and 83 Caucasian patients with confirmed IBD were analyzed. Hispanics were diagnosed with IBD at an older age than Caucasians (mean age 37.8 SD 16 vs. mean age 29.0 SD 14, P < 0.01). In Hispanics with IBD, there was a lower proportion of patients with CD compared to Caucasians with IBD (36% vs. 65%, P < 0.01). Although there were no significant differences in diagnostic examinations or medication prescription between the two groups, there was a higher number of bowel resections per patient in Caucasians compared with Hispanics (0.5 vs. 0.22, P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Hispanics with IBD were diagnosed at a significantly older age than Caucasians and had a lower number of bowel resections per patient. In Hispanics with IBD, UC was more common than CD while CD was more common than UC among Caucasians with IBD. Further research is required to confirm these observations and determine if these findings reflect genetic or environmental differences.
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