The age range was six to 88, with a mean of 38 years. Final histopathological diagnoses of 1279 patients undergoing lower GI endoscopy. Clinicopathological and follow-up data of 76 patients with chronic idiopathic ulcerative colitis. Diarrhea, abdominal pain and hematochesia were the most common symptoms among patients with ulcerative colitis. These were also the leading presenting symptoms of patients from the area.
Ulcerative colitis seen in our patients is generally of low grade.
This shows that ulcerative colitis in the Middle Eastern population is generally a less extensive disease of mild to moderate severity, as was reported from other developing countries. This experience was similar to other local studies. This difference may relate to the milder course of the disease, rarity of onset in childhood and adolescence, or to the fact that colorectal cancer is generally of low incidence in developing countries. In conclusion, IUC exists in Saudi Arabia and physicians should be aware of this fact to guard against delay in diagnosis and development of complications. The disease, however, is generally of mild to moderate severity and may be controlled with medical therapy.