Due to a degree of ambiguity in diagnosing and recording IBD, data on incidence (new cases) and prevalence is uncertain. However, levels are increasing, potentially at 2-3 per cent each year so that an estimated 744,000 people in the UK will be living with IBD by 2025.7,8
A recent study has analysed nearly 7 million health records in a GP database of UK patients to estimate IBD prevalence. The researchers found that levels increased from around 1,060 cases per 100,000 patients in 2006 to 1,420 cases per 100,000 patients in 2016, a 33.8 per cent increase. More women than men had an IBD diagnosis.7
Another UK study estimated ulcerative colitis prevalence at 570 cases per 100,000 population in 2017, suggesting upwards of 376,000 people live with the condition. The prevalence of Crohn’s disease was 400 cases per 100,000 people, or around 264,000 people. In the year 2000, the levels were 390/100,000 and 220/100,000 respectively.8