EPIDEMIOLOGY OF CROHNS-DISEASE IN PUBLIC HOSPITALS OF PARIS BETWEEN 1981 AND 1992

Objectives. - The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiologica l features of hospitalizations far Crohn's disease in Public Hospitals of Paris (<< Assistance Publique-Hopitaux de Paris >>) between 1981 a nd 1992. Methods. - Data concerning hospital stays were obtained from the OTARIE file, containing for each hospitalization descriptive data about the patient (including sex, birth date and locality, residence l ocality) and the hospital (including the identity of hospital departme nt, the route of admission into the department and discharge from the department, the main medical diagnosis). Results. - There was a 2.5-fo ld increase of the number of hospital stays for Crohn's disease from t he beginning to the end of the study period. Concomitantly, the women/ men sex-ratio increased from 0.99 to 1.39. The rate of hospital stays lasting less than 24 hours increased at the end of the study period, r eaching 10.6 % in 1992. Among the patients born out of the area of Par is, there was a significantly higher proportion of patients native fro m the North of France. Conclusion. - The prominent epidemiological fea tures concerning the hospital stays for Crohn's disease in Public Hosp itals of Paris between 1981 and 1992 were: a) a 2.5-fold increase of t he number of patients hospitalized per year between 1981 and 1992; b) a concomitant increase of the sex-ratio in favour of women; c) the exi stence of a significant higher proportion of patients originary from t he North of France.