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The Epidemiology of IBDAbout.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by Kate Grossman, MD
While inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a perplexing group of diseases that tends to be difficult to diagnose and treat, researchers have collected a significant amount of information concerning the genetics, distribution, and contributing environmental factors for IBD. Overall, IBD is a disease of white persons living in developed countries and tends to be diagnosed most commonly in adolescents and young adults. While Crohns disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) do appear to run in families, the connection is not always direct (such as from parent to child). The risk of inheriting IBD is generally low, except in cases where both parents have a form of IBD. At what age is IBD most common?: IBD is often considered a disease of adolescents and young adults because it is most commonly first diagnosed in people between the ages of 15 and 25 years (at least one source indicates peak incidence to be between 15 to 35 years[1]). Of the estimated 1.4 million people in the United States who have IBD, 10% are children. At about age 50 there is another increase in the diagnosis of IBD.[1] Is IBD more common in one gender?: IBD appears to affect both genders equally. In what geographic areas is IBD more prevalent?: IBD is more common in:
How many people have IBD?: It is widely estimated that between 1 and 1.4 million people in the United States have IBD. (Some experts indicate that this number may be an overestimate.) In Europe, the number of people with IBD is estimated to be 2.2 million.[2] In the United States, the prevalence of IBD is:
Does ethnicity affect the risk of developing IBD?:
What environmental factors affect the risk of developing IBD?: Two factors, appendectomy and a history of cigarette smoking, have been shown to have an affect on the development of IBD. The results of 13 studies conducted between 1987 and 1999 suggest that removal of the appendix could lessen the risk of developing UC by up to 69 percent. Former smokers are at the highest risk for developing UC, while current smokers have the least risk. This tendency indicates that smoking cigarettes helps prevent the onset of UC. Smoking cigarettes actually has an inverse effect on CD; people who smoke, or who have smoked in the past, have a higher risk of developing CD than non-smokers. What is the risk of inheriting IBD?:
Other factors, such as diet, use of oral contraceptives, and infections are being studied, but their role is still unclear.[2]
References:
Updated: October 19, 2006 |
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