Childhood onset inflammatory bowel disease: predictors of delayed diagnosis from the CEDATA German-language pediatric inflammatory bowel disease registry

Abstract

Objectives: To examine predictors of delayed diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease in children and adolescents.

Study design: A total of 2,436 patients (age 0-18 years) with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or unclassified colitis were included from 53 pediatric gastroenterologists. Predictors were examined with the proportional hazards model, presented as hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals. HR < 1.0 represent factors associated with late diagnosis.

Results: Median time to diagnosis was 4 (2-8) months. Crohn's disease (HR 0.62; 0.56-0.68), and within Crohn's disease, ileal disease (HR 0.77, 95% confidence interval 0.67 to 0.89) were associated with delayed diagnosis. Chances for early diagnosis increased with increasing age (HR 1.07 per year of age; 1.06 to 1.08). There was also an effect by center (HR 0.63, 0.52 to 0.67), but not by sex or country (Austria vs Germany). Growth failure was more common in those cases with delayed diagnosis.

Conclusions: There is still concern about delays in the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease in the very young and in children with small bowel disease. Inequalities of care by region require further investigation.