Primary sclerosing cholangitis in patients with inflammatory bowel diseasein Turkey

Background: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), which is a progressive ch olestatic liver disease of unknown etiology, is strongly correlated with in flammatory bowel disease (IBD). Goals: To determine the prevalence and desc ribe the characteristics of PSC in patients with IBD in Turkey. Study: We d etermined the prevalence of PSC in patients with IBD admitted to our depart ment during a 6-year period. Also, patients with PSC were investigated from an IBD aspect. Regardless of whether the patient had symptoms such as itch ing, jaundice, and abdominal pain, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreato graphy was performed on those with elevated alkaline phosphatase, and liver biopsy was done if endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography failed t o bring about the diagnosis. Results: Overall prevalence of PSC was 9 of 38 6 (2.3%) patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 4 of 110 (3.6%) patients with Crohn's disease (CD). Inflammatory bowel disease was established in 1 3 of 18 (72.2%; UC, 50.0%; CD, 22.2%) patients who were being observed for PSC. The male-to-female ratio was 5:4 in UC and 3:1 in CD patients with PSC . The mean age at diagnosis of PSC was 43.6 years (range, 30-54 years) in p atients with UC and 30.5 years (range, 26-41 years) in patients with CD. In patients with UC, the extension of colitis was total in seven patients (7/ 110, 6.3%) and left-sided in two patients (2/142, 1.4%). In patients with C D, the disease was located in the ileum and colon in one patient (1/47, 2.1 %) and in colon alone in three patients (3/21, 14.2%). Conclusions: Prevale nce of PSC-associated IBD in the Turkish community appear to be similar to the results of western origin studies.