Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): Phenotypic, Genetic and Therapeutic Differences between Early-Onset and Adult-Onset IBD

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) develops during childhood or adolescence in approximately 25% of patients with IBD. Recent studies on pediatric IBD have revealed that early-onset IBD has distinct phenotype differences compared to adult onset IBD. Pediatric early-onset IBD differs in many aspects including disease type, location of the lesions, disease behavior, gender preponderance and genetically attributable risks. This review examines the currently published data on the clinical, epidemiological and genetic differences between early-onset and adult-onset IBD. And finally, therapeutic considerations in the management of pediatric-onset IBD are also discussed. (Korean J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2011; 14: 1∼25)