Incidence and prevalence of ulcerative colitis in the Songpa-Kangdong District, Seoul, Korea, 1986-1997

Background and Aims: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is regarded as a rare disease in developing countries, but accurate data are generally lacking. We perfor med the present study to evaluate the incidence and prevalence of UC in Kor ea. Methods: A retrospective study was performed from 1986 to 1997 in the Songp a-Kangdong district of Seoul, Korea. To recruit UC patients as completely a s possible, multiple information sources including all medical facilities i n the study area and three referral centres located nearby, but outside the study area were used. The incidence and prevalence rates were adjusted usi ng the 1997 Korean population statistics. Results: During the study period, a total of 94 incident cases were identif ied, for an adjusted mean annual incidence rate of 0.68 per 100 000 inhabit ants. On 31 December 1997, 91 patients with UC lived in the study area, giv ing an adjusted prevalence rate of 7.57 per 100 000 inhabitants. By using t he Poisson regression analysis, the annual incidence rate increased signifi cantly from 0.20 per 100 000 inhabitants in 1986-1988 to 1.23 per 100 000 i nhabitants in 1995-1997 (P < 0.005). Patient age at diagnosis, the interval from onset of symptoms to diagnosis, and the disease extent at diagnosis w ere fairly constant throughout the study period. Conclusions: The incidence and prevalence of UC in our study area are still low compared with those of Western countries, but the incidence rate is st eadily increasing. (C) 2000 Blackwell Science Asia Pty Ltd.