The profile of inflammatory bowel disease in natives of Western Himalayas

Background: To study the profile of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) in natives of Himachal Pradesh. Material and Methods: A total of 101 patients of IBD were included. The clinical profiles, disease activity, severity and response to therapy were evaluated. Results: Of the 101 patients, 82% were diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis (UC), 12% with Crohn’s Disease (CD) and 6% with Inflammatory Bowel Disease Unclassified (IBDU). The mean duration between onset of symptoms and diagnosis was 12.3 months for UC, 15 months for CD and 3 months for IBDU. Chronic diarrhea (98%) and blood in stools (94%) were most common symptom in UC and abdominal pain (83%) was most common in CD. E2(45.78%) disease was most common in UC, L2(50%) was most common in CD and Left sided colonic involvement was most common in IBDU (83%). Extra intestinal manifestations were noted in IBDU (67%), CD (50%) and UC (40%). Most of the patients had moderate disease activity and responded well to pharmacotherapy. Conclusion: IBD is not uncommon in the rural hilly areas of India. There is predominance of ulcerative colitis rather than Crohn’s disease.