Seasonal variations in onset and exacerbation of inflammatory bowel diseases in children

BACKGROUND: Studies have suggested that inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) follow a seasonal pattern with regard to their onset and exacerbations. The aim of this study is to determine if there is any seasonal pattern to the onset and exacerbation of IBD in the pediatric population and if the birth of children diagnosed with IBD follows a seasonal pattern. METHODS: Patients between the ages of 1 and 21 years and with a diagnosis of IBD established between July 1992 and July 2012 were included. Their onset and exacerbations of IBD (year and season) were recorded. The birth dates of the patients were aggregated to determine whether a seasonal birth pattern existed amongst them. RESULTS: A total of 170 children were included in this study; 34 % of patients had their onset in the fall and 19 % of them had their onset in the summer. The total number of documented exacerbations was 358 and the median number of exacerbations was two, with a range of 1–11. IBD exacerbations were generally uniformly distributed throughout the year. We did not observe any specific season where children with IBD tended to be born. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggests that the onset of symptoms of IBD tends to have a seasonal trend with the highest incidence in the fall. However, we did not observe any association between seasonality and exacerbations in the pediatric population. Moreover, there was no specific season in which children with IBD tended to be born in greater numbers.