Epidemiology of Inflammatory Bowel Disease across the Ages in the Era of Advanced Therapies

We performed a search of English language publications listed in PubMed regarding the epidemiology of IBD and key environmental factors implicated in IBD from January 2000 to December 2023.

Annual incidence rates varied by geographical region with IBD estimates ranging from 10.5 to 46.14 per 100 000 in Europe, 1.37 to 1.5 per 100 000 in Asia and the Middle East, 23.67 to 39.8 per 100 000 in Oceania, 0.21 to 3.67 per 100 000 in South America, and 7.3 to 30.2 per 100 000 in North America. The burden of IBD among children and adolescents, and older people is rising globally. Key environmental factors implicated in IBD pathogenesis include exposure to tobacco smoking, antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, oral contraceptives, infections, and ultra-high processed foods. Breastfeeding and a high-quality diet rich in fruit, vegetables, fish, and other fibre sources are important protective factors. Smoking has consistently been shown to negatively impact disease outcomes for Crohn's disease.