Dig Liver Dis. 2022 Feb 3;S1590-8658(22)00001-9. doi: 10.1016/j.dld.2021.12.018.Online ahead of print.

Patrizia Alvisi ¹, Flavio Labriola ², Luca Scarallo ³, Paolo Gandullia ⁴, Daniela Knafelz ⁵, Matteo Bramuzzo ⁶, Giovanna Zuin ⁷, Maria Rosa Pastore ⁸, Maria Teresa Illiceto ⁹, Erasmo Miele ¹⁰, Francesco Graziano ¹¹, Claudio Romano ¹², Daniela Bartoletti ¹³, Salvatore Oliva ¹⁴, Serena Arrigo ⁴, Fiammetta Bracci ⁵, Sara Renzo ³, Anna Agrusti ⁶, Marina Aloi ¹⁴, Paolo Lionetti ³, SIGENP IBD Working Group

• SIGENP IBD Working Group: 

Salvatore Accomando ¹⁵, Claudia Banzato ¹⁶, Graziano Barera ¹⁷, Marco Brunero ¹⁸, Pier Luigi Calvo ¹⁹, Angelo Campanozzi ²⁰, Mara Cananzi ²¹, Mara Corpino ²², Rita Cozzali ²³, Gianluigi De Angelis ²⁴, Costantino De Giacomo ²⁵, Dario Dilillo ²⁶, Enrico Felici ²⁷, Simona Gatti ²⁸, Valentina Motta ²⁹, Lorenzo Norsa ³⁰, Paolo Maria Pavanello ³¹, Andrea Pession ³², Silvia Provera ³³, Alberto Ravelli ³⁴, Antonio Maria Ricci, Silvia Salvatore ³⁵, Caterina Strisciuglio ³⁶

Author information

• ¹Pediatric Gastroenterology Unit, Pediatric Department, Maggiore Hospital, Bologna. Electronic address: patrizia.alvisi@ausl.bologna.it.
• ²Pediatric Gastroenterology Unit, Pediatric Department, Maggiore Hospital, Bologna.
• ³University of Florence, Gastroenterology and Nutrition Unit, Meyer Children's Hospital, Florence.
• ⁴Pediatric Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Unit, G. Gaslini Children's Hospital, Genoa.
• ⁵Pediatric Gastroenterology Unit, Bambino Gesù Hospital, Rome.
• ⁶Department of Pediatrics, Institute for Maternal and Child Health, IRCSS Burlo Garofolo, Trieste.
• ⁷Department of Pediatrics, University of Milano Bicocca, Fondazione MMBU, S. Gerardo Hospital, Monza.
• ⁸Pediatric Unit, Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, S.GiovanniRotondo.
• ⁹Pediatric Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Unit, S. Spirito Hospital, Pescara.
• ¹⁰Department of Translational Medical Science, Section of Pediatrics, University of Naples Federico II, Naples.
• ¹¹Pediatric Unit, Ospedali Riuniti Villa Santa Sofia-Cervello, Palermo.
• ¹²Pediatric Gastroenterology and Cystic Fibrosis Unit, Department of Human Pathology, University of Messina, Messina.
• ¹³Department of Specialized, Diagnostic and Experimental Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna.
• ¹⁴Pediatric Gastroenterology and Liver Unit, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome.
• ¹⁵Department of Pediatrics, University of Palermo, Palermo.
• ¹⁶Department of Surgical Sciences, Dentistry, Gynecology and Pediatrics, Pediatric Division, University of Verona, Verona.
• ¹⁷Department of Pediatric, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan.
• ¹⁸Pediatric Surgery Unit, A.O. Maggiore della Carità Hospital, Novara.
• ¹⁹Pediatric Unit, Sant'Anna hospital, Torino.
• ²⁰Department of Pediatrics, University of Foggia, Foggia.
• ²¹Pediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Liver transplantation Unit, Department of Pediatrics, University of Padua, Padua.
• ²²Pediatric Unit, Department of Pediatric Brotzu, Hospital Cagliari.
• ²³Pediatric Unit, Department of Surgical and Biological Sciences, University of Perugia, Perugia.
• ²⁴Gastroenterology and Endoscopic Unit, Pediatric Section, University of Parma, Parma.
• ²⁵Pediatric Unit, Niguarda Hospital, Milan.
• ²⁶Pediatric Unit, Buzzi Hospital, Milan.
• ²⁷Pediatric Unit, Department of Pediatrics, C. Arrigo, Children Hospital, Alessandria.
• ²⁸Pediatric Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Polytechnic University of Marche, Salesi Children's Hospital, Ancona.
• ²⁹Department of Pediatrics, Maggiore Hospital, Crema.
• ³⁰Pediatric Hepatology, Gastroenterology and Transplantation Unit, Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital, Bergamo.
• ³¹Pediatric Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Ca' Foncello Hospital, Treviso.
• ³²Department of Pediatrics, University of Bologna, S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Bologna.
• ³³Pediatric Unit, Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Negrar, Verona.
• ³⁴Department of Pediatric Surgery, Spedali Civili Children's Hospital, Brescia.
• ³⁵Department of Pediatrics, Del Ponte Hospital, University of Insubria, Varese.
• ³⁶Department of Women, Children and General and Specialistic Surgery, University Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples.

Abstract

Introduction: The present study aimed at evaluating Italian epidemiological trends of pediatric inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) over the period 2009-2018.

Materials and methods: Data from 1969 patients enrolled in the Italian Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Registry, by 49 pediatric IBD centers throughout the country, were analyzed, comparing three different time intervals (2009-2012, 2013-2015, 2016-2018).

Results: The number of new IBD diagnoses ranged from 175 to 219 per year, evenly distributed over the examined period of time. From 2009 to 2018, the minimal incidence ranged from 1.59 to 2.04 /10⁵ inhabitants aged < 18 years, with an overall slight predominance of ulcerative colitis (UC) over Crohn's disease (CD) (ratio: 1.1). Mean diagnostic delay was 6.8 months for CD and 4.1 months for UC, with a significant reduction for CD when comparing the three-time intervals (p =0.008). The most frequent disease locations according to the Paris classification were ileocolonic for CD (41.3%) and pancolitis for UC (54.6%).

Conclusions: The minimal incidence rate in Italy seems to have stabilized over the last two decades, even if it has increased when compared to previous reports. UC is still slightly more prevalent than CD in our country. Diagnostic delay significantly decreased for CD, reflecting an improved diagnostic capacity.