Patient demographic and clinical features
| Early surgery (n = 35) | No early surgery (n = 35) | Nominal p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| *Characteristic for which pairs were matched. | |||
| 5-ASA, 5-aminosalicylic acid; 6-MP, 6-mercaptopurine. | |||
| Age at diagnosis* (y) (mean (range)) | 32 (22–74) | 32 (23–73) | 1.000 |
| Sex* (No (%)) | |||
| Female | 20 (57.1) | 20 (58.3) | 1.000 |
| Male | 15 (42.9) | 15 (42.9) | 1.000 |
| Disease location* (No (%)) | |||
| Ileum only | 11 (31.4) | 11 (31.4) | 1.000 |
| Colon only | 10 (28.6) | 10 (28.6) | 1.000 |
| Ileum and colon | 14 (40.0) | 14 (40.0) | 1.000 |
| Smoking status at diagnosis* (No (%)) | |||
| Smoker | 7 (20.0) | 7 (20.0) | 1.000 |
| Non-smoker | 17 (48.6) | 17 (48.6) | 1.000 |
| Unknown | 11 (31.4) | 11 (31.4) | 1.000 |
| Mean time to diagnosis from onset of symptoms (days) | 589 | 404 | 0.367 |
| Medication use in the first three years (No (%)) | |||
| 5-ASA | 32 (91.4) | 23 (65.7) | 0.010 |
| Oral steroids | 29 (82.9) | 24 (68.6) | 0.264 |
| IV steroids | 7 (20.0) | 6 (17.2) | 0.760 |
| 6-MP or azathioprine | 18 (51.4) | 13 (37.1) | 0.242 |
| Methotrexate | 3 (8.6) | 3 (8.6) | 1.000 |
| Cyclosporin | 0 (0.0) | 1 (2.9) | 0.500 |
| Infliximab | 0 (0.0) | 2 (5.7) | 0.247 |
| Presence of extraintestinal manifestations (No (%)) | 9 (25.7) | 6 (17.1) | 0.402 |
| Practice where treated (No (%)) | |||
| Community | 12 (34.3) | 9 (25.7) | 0.450 |
| Referral | 23 (65.7) | 26 (74.3) | 0.450 |