The globalization of inflammatory bowel disease

June 26, 2018   |   Evidence in Integrative Healthcare

According a recent article in JAMA, “Inflammatory Bowel Disease Goes Global” ( https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2673159), the rates of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) have been increasing in newly industrialized and urbanized countries in Asia, Africa, South America, and the Middle East since 1990.  The findings of this systematic review of 147 observational, population-based studies from 1990 to 2016 indicate a shift in the global patterns of IBD.  The increased incidence of IBD, e.g. ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, in these countries is accelerating similar to that of western countries during the 20th century.  There is still a high prevalence in North America, Oceana, and most European countries but there are some western countries the incidence has begun to stabilize or decrease.

The authors note for these countries with increasing IBD incidence is to “prepare their clinical infrastructure and personnel to manage this complex and costly disease”.