Nationwide prevalence and drug treatment practices of inflammatory bowel diseases in Hungary: A population-based study based on the National Health Insurance Fund database

BackgroundCrohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are chronic inflammatory diseases associated with a substantial healthcare utilization.AimOur aim was to estimate the national prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), CD and UC and to describe current drug treatment practices in CD and UC.MethodsPatients and drug dispensing events were identified according to international classification codes for UC and CD in in-patient care, non-primary out-patient care and drug prescription databases (2011-2013) of the National Health Insurance Fund.ResultsA total of 55,039 individuals (men: 44.6%) with physician-diagnosed IBD were alive in Hungary in 2013, corresponding to a prevalence of 0.55% (95% CI, 0.55-0.56). The prevalence of CD 0.20% (95% CI, 0.19-0.20), and UC was 0.34% (95% CI, 0.33-0.34). The prevalence both in men and women was the highest in the 20-39 year-olds in CD. Current use of immunosuppressives and biological therapy was highest in the pediatric CD population (44% and 15%) followed by adult CD (33% and 9%), while their use was lowest in elderly patients. Interestingly, current use of 5-ASA (5-aminosalicylates) was high in both UC and CD irrespective of the age group.ConclusionsThe Hungarian IBD prevalence based on nationwide database of the National Health Insurance Fund was high. We identified significant differences in the drug prescription practices according to age-groups.