Sociodemographic characteristics, smoking, and family history of patients with inflammatory bowel disease, northern part of Iraq

Abstract

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a long chronic condition of the gastrointestinal tract that includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The incidence rate of IBD increases globally. The exact pathogenesis of IBD is not known and has yet to be discovered. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in Kurdistan region of Iraq (Erbil, Duhok, Sulaimaniyah, and Halabja) from July 2021 to July 2022. Sociodemographic variables (gender, age, education level, employment status, marital status, and residency) plus smoking habits and family history were collected by a questionnaire and reviewed in 83 patients with IBD and 170 matched controls, followed by statistical comparison in both studied groups. A combination of clinical, radiographic, histological, and endoscopic assessment from medical records was used for the diagnosis of IBD. Results: Of all IBD patients, 56.6% (47) were male and 43.4% (36) were female. Statistically no significant differences were identified, among patients and controls, for gender, age, marital status, level of education, and employment, whereas significant differences were identified for residency, smoking, and family history, and P value was 0.019, 0.016, and 0.001, respectively. Conclusions: Smoking and family history were determined as a risk factor for the development of IBD and the odds ratios (95% confidence interval) were 1.916 (1.126–3.260) and 3.260 (1.596–6.658), respectively.

Keywords

• crohn’s disease
• family history
• kurdistan region
• smoking
• ulcerative colitis