Prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease in young Greek Army male recruits from 2006 to 2018: a 13-year retrospective study from a tertiary center.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence and incidence of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) vary among countries. Data regarding prevalence of IBD in Greece are limited or outdated. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of IBD patients from a population of 551,808 Greek Army recruits in a 13-year period (2006-2018). Study population consisted of males 18-37 of age from Northwest, Central Greece (including Attica), Peloponnese, and Aegean Sea Islands. Age, disease distribution, pharmaceutical treatment and IBD-related surgery at the time of patients' admission were recorded. RESULTS: The prevalence of IBD among male recruits during the studied period was 0.15% (839/551 808, 95% confidence interval 0.14-0.16%). Of these, 448 (53.4%) had Crohn's disease (CD) and 391 (46.6%) ulcerative colitis (UC). Although 32.1% of CD patients had been treated with biologics, most often infliximab (60% of them), azathioprine was the most common as monotherapy (27% of patients). Among UC patients, mesalamine was the most often prescribed treatment (64.2%), whereas treatment with biologics as monotherapy or in combination with azathioprine was used in a ratio 1:2 compared to CD patients. A gradual reduction in steroid use was noted from 2006 to 2018, coinciding with the advent and increasing use of biologics. IBD-related surgery had been performed in 8% and 2.8% of CD and UC patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of IBD in Greek male recruits was 0.15% with a slight CD predominance. Remarkable changes in therapeutic trends were noted with an increasing use of biologics and reduced prescription of steroids, especially for CD.