Introduction: The incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Poland is unknown.
Objectives: We aimed to define the rates of hospitalization for IBD and time trends in the past 2 decades.
Patients and methods: Data were obtained from the database of the National Institute of Public Health (1991-1996 and 2003-2007). Data on hospitalizations for Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) were extracted. Age-, sex-, and disease‑specific rates of hospitalization per 100,000 population were calculated.
Results: During the years 1991-1996 and 2003-2007, the rate of hospitalization for IBD increased each year, rising from 12.50 to 30.61 per 100,000 population. Rising time trends were observed in both sexes. The hospitalization rate increased from 3.53 to 9.35 per 100,000 population for CD and from 8.97 to 21.26 per 100,000 population for UC. A rising time trend was observed in hospitalizations for CD in men aged from 0 to 39 years. A rising time trend for CD in women was observed between the years 2003 and 2007. The hospitalization rate for UC was higher in men (9.18 to 23.29 per 100,000) than in women (8.77 to 19.37 per 100,000). Rising time trends for UC were observed in the years from 2003 to 2007 in all men and women except for those aged from 40 to 64 years.
Conclusions: Hospitalization rates for IBD in Poland increased from 1991 to 1996 and from 2003 to 2007, with rising time trends in both sexes. For CD, the rising time trend in men was limited to younger age groups. The hospitalization rate for UC was significantly higher in men than in women.