A study in Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics says inflammatory bowel disease incidence rates are rising worldwide.
Aswin Ananthakrishnan, MD, examined Danish National Patient Registry data from 1980 to 2013, identifying patients with Crohn's Disease or ulcerative colitis, and compared them to a national cohort. He used National Patient Registry records to estimate incidence rates.
Here's what he found.
1. From 1980 to 2013, Crohn's Disease increased from 5.2 percent per 100,000 people to 9.1 percent per 100,000 people. Ulcerative colitis also increased from 10.7 percent per 100,000 people to 18.6 percent per 100,000 people.
2. Females had higher incidence rates for both diseases.
3. Patients 15-years or older had the greatest increases for both diseases.
Dr. Ananthakrishnan concluded, "The incidence of IBD in Denmark continues to increase and is among the highest in the world."