Latest news with #inflammatoryboweldisease
South China Morning Post
26-05-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong warned of surge in inflammatory bowel disease rates
The number of Hongkongers suffering from incurable chronic gut conditions could surge by 150 per cent over a 20-year period due to unhealthy diets, high in sugar and fat, according to a global study. Scientists from the study that was co-led by researchers from Hong Kong and Canada raised the alarm after a projection model estimated that the prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease in the city would rise from 40 cases per 100,000 people in 2014 to 100 in 2034. 'The 150 per cent increase in the total number in terms of prevalence – this is quite scary,' said Professor Ng Siew Chien, associate dean of the Chinese University of Hong Kong's medical school and an expert in gastroenterology who co-led the study. 'We call this probably an explosion.' Researchers found that the rates were related to economic development and that less developed places, such as Malaysia and mainland China, had lower rates than Hong Kong, although they were also trending upwards. IBD refers to a group of conditions that cause swelling and inflammation of tissue in the digestive tract, with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis being the two most common types.
WebMD
21-05-2025
- Health
- WebMD
You Could Be at Risk of IBD and Not Know It
May 21, 2025 – There's mixed news on the war against inflammatory bowel disease. Cases in the U.S. fell in the 1990s, then rose in the past 25 years. But modern medicine now has plenty of new weapons to deploy – if patients seek treatment. The term "inflammatory bowel disease" (IBD) refers to chronic conditions in the intestines, mainly Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Between 2.4 million and 3.4 million Americans have IBD. It's not much of a killer – 71,628 people died of IBD-related causes between 1999 and 2022, about 3,000 per year – but in 2018, the death rate started climbing by about 10% per year, according to a new study in Clinical and Experimental Gastroenterology. Doctors are optimistic, though. "What I tell my patients is: 'There's never been a better time in human history to have Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis because the number of available therapies has increased significantly over the last several years, and that's anticipated only to continue,' " said Loren G. Rabinowitz, MD, a gastroenterologist who specializes in IBD at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Why Is IBD on the Rise? IBD is easier than ever to find, thanks to better diagnostic tools like endoscopy, imaging, and stool tests. That could explain the rising number of cases. "We're more aware of it," said gastroenterologist Benjamin Click, MD, a professor at the University of Colorado. "We're looking more at even older people who come in with signs and symptoms and making those diagnoses potentially in populations that we may not have historically." But that's not the whole story. "The data suggests we're probably still witnessing a real rise in the incidences of not only inflammatory bowel diseases but a lot of these autoimmune conditions," said Click. Our modern way of life could be a culprit. As countries industrialize, IBD becomes more common, research finds. One explanation is the adoption of the Western diet, which is low in fruits, vegetables, grains, and fish and high in ultra-processed foods. This eating style might disturb gut bacteria and weaken the gut lining, promoting inflammation. Inflammation is normally a helpful immune response to injury or infection. But in inflammatory bowel disease, the immune system overreacts, attacking harmless gut bacteria and damaging the mucus lining of the intestines. Other potential contributors include antibiotic overexposure and smoking, researchers say. Wait, IBD Can Kill You? Don't panic: Death from IBD is rare. "Patients typically have a normal lifespan with Crohn's and ulcerative colitis," said Rabinowitz. "That's particularly true if the inflammation is treated well and treated early on, and when patients get quickly connected with a gastroenterologist who can monitor their symptoms over time." And studies might also overestimate IBD-related deaths by including cases where the condition was present but not the primary cause, said Click. But IBD can turn deadly if it progresses unchecked. Severe cases can lead to fulminant colitis, an intense and life-threatening inflammation of the colon, or bowel perforation, a hole in the small intestine or colon that lets contents leak out. IBD also raises the risk of colorectal cancer, especially when it's not well-controlled. Colorectal cancer patients with IBD tend to fare worse than those without IBD, research suggests. Inflammatory diseases including IBD have also been linked to an increased risk of diseases of the heart and blood vessels, the top killer in the U.S. and the world. It turns out that chronic gut inflammation can lead to body-wide inflammation, which can affect the blood vessels and contribute to heart problems. How Has Your IBD Risk Changed? While IBD can affect anyone at any age, a few groups stand out: Older adults. New IBD cases are rising in adults over 70, especially women, according to a study in Digestive Diseases and Sciences. While IBD used to be thought of as largely a younger person's disease, "we are diagnosing IBD in older individuals more than ever," said Click. "We also know that, in general, our population is aging, and we are seeing more individuals age with their IBD, perhaps influencing some of the epidemiologic trends." But why older women? It could simply be that women tend to have a longer lifespan, researchers say, giving them more time to develop the disease. Women. More bad news for women: While IBD-related deaths went up for everyone between 1990 and 2019, the increase was especially pronounced in women, according to a study in Annals of Gastroenterology. One possible explanation: Bias. Doctors sometimes mistake IBD symptoms for other conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or hemorrhoids, and research suggests this brushoff may happen more often in women: Women with IBD were four times as likely as men to be misdiagnosed, even though symptoms were similar between the sexes. This aligns with a larger trend in medicine that women's symptoms are often downplayed or blamed on less serious disorders, especially when symptoms include weakness and pain, the researchers say. This could mean IBD is more often missed early in women, increasing the risk of serious or even fatal complications. Midwesterners. IBD is most common in Midwestern and Eastern states, the Annals of Gastroenterology study found. And IBD deaths were highest in the Midwest, especially among men, according to the Clinical and Experimental Gastroenterology study. That region has the highest population of White Americans, who historically have had the highest rates of IBD. But it was the South that saw the largest increase in IBD deaths from 1999 to 2022. The South has the country's highest Black population, researchers noted, and previous studies suggest that racial gaps in health care access could limit IBD care. Symptoms, Treatment, and the Link to Colon Cancer Catching – and treating – the condition early can lower the risk of complications, especially for Crohn's disease, Click said. What to look for: More frequent bathroom trips. Changes in the "frequency or liquidity" of your bowel movements that last for weeks should be reported to your doctor, said Rabinowitz. Stool that looks black or tarry. These can be signs of blood in your stool, which "should always prompt a discussion with your physician," she said. Bowel movements at night. This counts especially if diarrhea is regularly waking you up. Severe abdominal pain. Particularly, watch for belly pain that doesn't improve after you have a bowel movement. Unintentional weight loss. This means you're shedding pounds without trying to with diet and exercise. If you have relatives, especially siblings, with Crohn's or ulcerative colitis, seeking help is extra important. Among people who had a sibling with IBD, 1.7% developed the disorder over 10 years, compared to just 0.4% of those with no affected siblings, a study found. And if you need more motivation to get checked, there's this: Colorectal cancer is on the rise in young adults, according to the American Cancer Society. It can start with symptoms similar to IBD, such as bloody stool, diarrhea, and not being able to keep on weight. You've probably heard about the uptick in colorectal cancer in young people. Whether there's a link to the rise in IBD cases remains to be seen, said Click. Researchers are looking at several IBD risk factors tied to early life, like whether you were breastfed, antibiotic use, processed and sugar-rich diets, and exposures to smoke, pesticides, and "forever chemicals" in plastics, said Click. "If these also influence the development of early colorectal cancer, then a connection is certainly plausible." Until that research comes in, focus on evidence-backed lifestyle changes to help reduce your risk. Eat less ultra-processed and fast food and follow a Mediterranean diet, experts say. Add fermented foods – like sauerkraut or kimchi – to the mix to nourish good gut bacteria and promote a "less inflammatory microbiome," Click said. Advances in diagnosis and treatment are expected to improve IBD outcomes in the coming years. Immunosuppressive medications can reduce chronic inflammation, while steroids are often used to manage short-term flares. Regular colonoscopies can help doctors find and remove colon polyps before they have a chance to turn into cancer. Intestinal ultrasounds help doctors catch early changes in the gut. And for people at higher risk, blood tests can spot signs of IBD before symptoms arise.
RNZ News
07-05-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Canterbury IBD cases tripled over last two decades, likely to double nationally in next 20 years
Photo: University of Otago Known cases of inflammatory bowel disease have tripled in Canterbury in the past two decades - and will likely keep rising dramatically in New Zealand, a world-leading study has revealed. Otago University experts have worked with researchers around the globe on the study published in the prestigious medical journal Nature this week. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is made up of Crohns and ulcerative colitis which cause ulcers and inflammation in the gut and have a range of nasty symptoms including abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, fever and sometimes inflammation of other organs. The study predicts cases will double in Aotearoa in the next 20 years. It set out to categorise IBD rates in different parts of the world, to help countries set up their health systems up to cope with growing numbers. One of the co-authors, Otago's Professor Richard Gearry, is a working gastroenterologist who treats patients with the diseases. He was surprised to realise the big increase in rates in Canterbury - from 1420 to 4000 cases - as the research team reviewed previous studies done since 2006. There were about 20,000 New Zealanders with IBD in New Zealand but that was expected to be more than 40,000 by 2025, the study found. Cases were particularly rising in Māori and Pacific peoples. IBD could be treated or managed with drugs or surgery and it was better to be diagnosed as early as possible. "To keep up with rising demand, our health system needs to plan ahead and invest more in care designed to specifically meet the needs of people with IBD. We also need to focus on more prevention, research and earlier intervention," Gearry said. "Many patients experience years of diagnostic delay, resulting in worse outcomes, which is why more resourcing and investment is sorely needed." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
