Environmental factors associated with Crohn’s disease in India—there’s more to it than meets the eye

Excerpt

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has traditionally been considered a Western disease. However, the last 2 decades have seen an increase in the reports of both ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) from Asian countries [1]. Most of these reported series have been hospital-based with only one population-based survey by Sood et al. [2]. Time-trend data from Japan and China indicate a dramatic increase in the incidence of UC and a more gradual increase in that of CD [1]. In addition, a higher incidence of UC has been noted amongst second-generation Asian migrants in the United Kingdom [3]. This increase in the incidence and prevalence of IBD in Asia mirrors the epidemiological trend in the Western world that occurred 50 years ago Though increased awareness of IBD, better diagnostic facilities, and the growth of the specialty appear to have played a major factor for this increase in reported incidence, there is probably also a genuine increase in the incidence of both UC and CD [1]. …