Extraintestinal manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease in Asian patients: A multinational study

Background/aim: Although inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) incidence has increased over the past two decades in Asia, data on extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs) of IBD in Asian patients are limited. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence and clinical characteristics of EIMs in Asian IBD patients. Methods: In total, 1,764 patients (1,130 with ulcerative colitis [UC] and 634 with Crohn's disease [CD]) were recruited from 10 tertiary centers in Asia. The medical records of IBD patients were retrospectively reviewed for the presence, clinical characteristics, chronological order, and therapeutic management of EIMs. Results: EIMs were reported in 199 (11.3%) patients, of which 17 (1.0%) patients had multiple EIMs. EIMs were more prevalent in CD patients (P = 0.02). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that female sex (odds ratio [OR] 2.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.15–3.55), stricture (OR 2.49, 95% CI 1.41–4.39) and female sex (OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.52–4.34), extensive colitis (OR 2.63, 95% CI 1.57–4.41) were associated with EIMs in CD and UC patients respectively. EIMs appeared in 8% of patients before IBD diagnosis; 95% of cases with EIM could be managed via first-line therapy. Conclusion: EIM prevalence is lower among Asian IBD patients than among patients from Western countries; however, the risk factors for EIM were similar between both populations.