Diagnostic Delay in Crohn’s Disease: Time for Red Flags

Excerpt

The time between the initial manifestation of a disease and its correct diagnosis is termed diagnostic delay . The significance of diagnostic delay is that the postponement of the institution of effective treatment can profoundly affect patient well-being and overall disease evolution. The diagnosis of Crohn’s disease (CD) is often delayed 5–9 months due to the variability and subtlety of its initial manifestations, as opposed to ulcerative colitis (UC), which due to its consistent initial symptoms and manifestations is usually diagnosed more rapidly [1, 2]. Moreover, CD patients with pure ileal disease and age <40 at diagnosis are significantly at risk of considerable diagnostic delay (>24 months) [1], data confirmed by the results of the IMPACT survey among European patients. In this large online survey promoted by the European Federation of Crohn’s and Colitis Associations (EFCCA) involving 4990 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), 20 % of subjects had to wait up to 5 years after symptomatic disease onset in order to receive the correct diagnosis of CD, with consequent impairment of their quality of life [3]. …