Emerging Epidemic of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in a Middle Income Country: A Nation-wide Study from Iran.

BACKGROUND: The burden of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) hasn't been reported in Iran. We aimed to estimate the prevalence and incidence of IBD and its trend in Iran at national and subnational level from 1990 to 2012. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of English and Persian databases about the epidemiology of IBD. We also collected outpatient data from 17 provinces of Iran using almost all public and private referral gastroenterology clinics. Prevalence and incidence rate was calculated at national and subnational levels. The Kriging method was used to extrapolate provinces with missing data and GPR model to calculate time trends of rates at subnational level. RESULTS: We found 16 case series, two population-based studies, and two review articles. We collected 11,000 IBD cases from outpatient databases. Among them, 9,269 (84.26%) had ulcerative colitis (UC), 1,646 (14.96%) had Crohn's disease (CD), and 85 had intermediate colitis (IC). A total of 5,452 (49.56%) patients were male. Mean age at diagnosis was 32.80 years (CI: 13 - 61) for UC and 29.98 years (CI: 11 - 58) for CD. Annual incidences of IBD, UC, and CD in 2012 were 3.11, 2.70, and 0.41 per 100,000 subjects respectively. Prevalence of IBD, UC, and CD in 2012 were 40.67, 35.52, and 5.03 per 100,000 subjects respectively. The incidence of UC and CD showed a significant increase during the study period (P for trend < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence and prevalence of IBD are increasing in Iran. Establishing a national IBD registry seems necessary for comprehensive care of IBD patients in Iran.

Mean Polyp per Patient Is an Accurate and Readily Obtainable Surrogate for Adenoma Detection Rate: Results from an Opportunistic Screening Colonoscopy Program.

BACKGROUND The incidence of colorectal cancer is rising in several developing countries. In the absence of integrated endoscopy and pathology databases, adenoma detection rate (ADR), as a validated quality indicator of screening colonoscopy, is generally difficult to obtain in practice. We aimed to measure the correlation of polyp-related indicators with ADR in order to identify the most accurate surrogate(s) of ADR in routine practice. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the endoscopic and histopathological findings of patients who underwent colonoscopy at a tertiary gastrointestinal clinic. The overall ADR and advanced-ADR were calculated using patient-level data. The Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) was applied to measure the strength of the correlation between the quality metrics obtained by endoscopists. RESULTS A total of 713 asymptomatic adults aged 50 and older who underwent their first-time screening colonoscopy were included in this study. The ADR and advanced-ADR were 33.00% (95% CI: 29.52-36.54) and 13.18% (95% CI: 10.79-15.90), respectively. We observed good correlations between polyp detection rate (PDR) and ADR (r=0.93), and mean number of polyp per patient (MPP) and ADR (r=0.88) throughout the colon. There was a positive, yet insignificant correlation between advanced ADRs and non-advanced ADRs (r=0.42, p=0.35). CONCLUSION MPP is strongly correlated with ADR, and can be considered as a reliable and readily obtainable proxy for ADR in opportunistic screening colonoscopy programs.

Severe Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding in a Patient with Crohn's Disease: a Case Report and the Review of Literature.

Crohn's disease (CD) is rarely presented with lower GI bleeding (LGIB) which eludes the clinician. A 25-year-old lady with severe rectorrhagia was presented with no history of constipation, diarrhea or abdominal pain. Colonoscopy revealed ulcers in the rectum, sigmoid colon, and terminal ileum. Crohn's pathologic features were detected in the terminal ileum. The bleeding was controlled via supportive care and IV corticosteroid. Recurrent LGIB was managed by prednisolone and azathioprine. The patient had an uneventful recovery. The clinicians should consider CD as a possible diagnosis in severe LGIB. Prednisolone and azathioprine efficiently control acute bleeding episodes and prevent the recurrence.

Adenoma detection rates in an opportunistic screening colonoscopy program in Iran, a country with rising colorectal cancer incidence.

BACKGROUND: Data on the quality of colonoscopies in populations with rising colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence is scarce. We aimed to calculate the adenoma detection rates (ADR), and assess the quality of colonoscopies in an opportunistic screening colonoscopy program in Iran. METHODS: All the colonoscopy and pathology reports of asymptomatic adults over age 50 who underwent screening colonoscopy between June 2007 and March 2013 were reviewed. The colonoscopy quality indicators including ADR were calculated, and patient factors associated with the adenoma detection were determined. RESULTS: A total of 713 asymptomatic adults aged 50 years and older who underwent their first-time screening colonoscopy were included in this study. ADR and advanced-ADR were 33.00% (95% CI: 29.52-36.54) and 13.18% (95% CI: 10.79-15.90), respectively. We observed a significantly higher rate of cecal intubation in patients with fair or better bowel preparation compared to those with poor prep, 90.00% vs. 70.45%, respectively (P < 0.001). Bowel preparation (adjusted OR: 2.49, 95% CI: 1.75-3.55), older age (≥60) (adjusted OR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.22-2.36), and male gender (adjusted OR: 1.39, 95% CI: 1.01-1.92) were associated with the adenoma detection. CONCLUSIONS: Our ADR in both genders meets and exceeds the recommended colonoscopy quality benchmarks. The polyp and adenoma detection rates in the current study are comparable to those reported from Western countries where the incidence of CRC is traditionally high. These data are in line with the epidemiologic transition of CRC in Iran.

Characteristics of colorectal polyps and cancer; a retrospective review of colonoscopy data in iran.

BACKGROUND Early diagnosis and endoscopic resection of adenomatous polyps is the main approach for screening and prevention of colorectal cancer (CRC). We aimed to assess polyp detection rate (PDR) and to characterize demographic, clinical, and pathological features of colorectal polyps in an Iranian population. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the data from 5427 colonoscopies performed during 2007-2012 at Masoud Clinic, the main endoscopy center associated with Sasan Alborz Biomedical Research Center, in Tehran, Iran. RESULTS Our sample included 2928 (54%) women and 2499 (46%) men, with the mean age of 48.3 years (SD=16.1). The most common reasons for colonoscopy included screening in 25.0%, and gastrointestinal bleeding in 15.2%. Cecal intubation was successful in 86% of patients. The quality of bowel preparation was fair to excellent in 78.1% (n=4235) of colonoscopies. Overall PDR was 42.0% (95% CI: 40.6-43.3). The PDR in men (51.1%, 95% CI: 49.1-53.1) was significantly higher than women (34.2%, 95% CI: 32.4-35.9, p<0.001). Polyps were more frequently observed in patients after the 6(th) decade of life (F=3.2; p=0.004). CRC was detected in 2.9% (73/2499) of men and 1.9% (57/2928) of women (p=0.02). The mean age for patients with cancer was significantly higher than that for individuals with polyps, 60.9 (SD=13.4) year vs. 56.9 (SD=13.7) year, respectively (p=0.001). Almost 82.8% of the lesions were precancerous with tubular type predominance (62.3%) followed by tubulo-villous (10.3%), villous (6.6%), and serrated (3.6%). Hyperplastic/inflammatory polyps comprised 17.2% of lesions. CONCLUSION Distal colon was more prone to develop polyps and cancer than proximal colon in our series. These findings provide a great infrastructure for next preventive programs and have implications for colorectal cancer screening at population-level.

Can timi risk score predict angiographic involvement in patients with st-elevation myocardial infarction?

BACKGROUND: In most studies, the agreeable risk scores for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) consist of thrombolytic in myocardial infarction (TIMI) risk score and modified Gensini risk score. Researchers showed significant relations between TIMI with angiography scores in patients with UA/NSTEMI. We studied this relation in patients with STEMI. METHODS: We studied CCU patients with STEMI hospitalized in several hospitals of Isfahan, Iran from September 2007 to June 2008. Sampling method of 240 patients was random and simple. Exclusion criteria were incomplete history, nonspecific electrocardiogram changes, left bundle branch block and not accomplished angiography or accomplished angiography after 2 months of STEMI. Questionnaire indices collected on the basis of TIMI (0-14 points). Echocardiography and angiography were done and then, we used Gensini (0-400 points) to review films of angiography. Spearman's rank test and Pearson correlation coefficient were used to study the relation between these scores. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty one patients were male and their average age was 60.02 years. Averages of TIMI and Gensini scores were 6.30±2.5 and 120.77±50.4, respectively. Study showed significant relation between TIMI, age and LVEF (P<0.001, r=-0.46). Also, between Gensini and age, gender and LVEF significant relation was found (P<0.001). But, a meaningful correlation didn't exist between TIMI and the gender (P=0.08). Our study proved direct relation between TIMI risk scores and modified Gensini scores (P<0.001, r=0.55). CONCLUSION: We may decide quickly and correctly in emergency room to distinguish which patients with STEMI could derive a benefit from invasive strategies using TIMI score. Also, TIMI risk score can be a good predictor to determine the extension of coronary artery disease in patients with STEMI. As a result, we suggest determination of TIMI score for any patient entered emergency room. Also, this score should be recorded at the time patient's discharge.

Assessment of clopidogrel on the left ventricular ejection fraction in acute myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVES: Left ventricular (LV) dysfunction heart failure is one of the causes of morbidity and mortality following ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). This study was done to determine the clopidogrel effect in preventing reduced LV function in patients with STEMI. METHODS: In this study, 144 patients with STEMI admitted to the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences hospitals were followed in two groups for one month. The case group received Clopidogrel, 300 mg, on admission and then, 75 mg daily, while the control group received routine therapy for STEMI without Clopidogrel. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) on the 4(th) day and one month after STEMI was measured by echocardiography. The results of LVEF were compared within and between groups. RESULTS: The mean LVEF in the case group on the 4(th) day and one month after STEMI were 45.92 and 52.15%, respectively (P<0.001). The mean LVEF in the control group on 4(th) day and one month after STEMI were 44.72 and 42.71%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that Clopidogrel is effective in prevention of LVEF reduction in patients with STEMI.