Application of the Vienna Classification for Crohn's disease to a single clinician database of 877 patients

An international working party at the World Congress of Gastroenterology he ld in Vienna, Austria from September 6 to 11, 1998 defined a classification for Crohn's disease based on patient age at diagnosis (eg,less than 40 yea rs of age, 40 years of age or older), disease location (eg, terminal ileum, colon, ileocolon or upper gastrointestinal tract and behaviour leg, strict uring, penetrating). Disease location in the upper gastrointestinal tract w as defined by disease being present proximal to the terminal ileum, regardl ess of terminal ileal or colon involvement. A 20-year, single clinician dat abase of 877 patients from a university campus hospital was used, and compr ised 492 women (56.1%) and 385 men (43.9%). Of these patients, 740 (84.40%) were diagnosed before age 40 years and 137 (15.6%) were diagnosed by 40 ye ars of age or older. Disease was located in the terminal ileum alone in 222 patients (25.3%), colon alone in 238 patients (27.2%) and ileocolon in 304 patients (34.6%). Another 113 patients (13.1%) hail disease in the upper g astrointestinal tract, usually with disease also in the terminal ileum (23 patients), colon (12 patients) or ileocolon (71 patients). Only seven of 87 7 patients had disease located in the upper gastrointestinal tract alone wi th no distal disease. Disease behaviour could be classified as nonstricturi ng and nonpenetrating in 256 patients (29.2%;), stricturing in 294 patients (33.6%) and penetrating in 327 patients (37.2%). Of the 877 patients with Crohn's disease, 837 were white 38 were Asian and two were black. In this t ertiary care setting of a single clinician practice in a Canadian teaching hospital at the University of British Columbia, Crohn's disease predominant ly affects a omen, and young adults with a high rate of stricturing and pen etrating complications.