The Impact of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Canada 2018: Epidemiology

Canada has among the highest incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the world. After decades of rising incidence of IBD in Canada during the 20th Century, the prevalence of IBD in 2018 is 0.7% of the Canadian population. Forecasting models predict that prevalence of IBD will continue to rise to 1.0% of the population by 2030. In 2018, the number of Canadians living with IBD is approximately 270,000 and is predicted to rise to 403,000 Canadians in 2030. Inflammatory bowel disease affects all age groups with adolescents and young adults at highest risk of diagnosis. Canadians of all ethnicities are being diagnosed with IBD including known high-risk groups such as Ashkenazi Jews and offspring of South Asian immigrants who were previously thought to be low risk. Moreover, IBD has evolved into a global disease with rising incidence in newly industrialized countries in Asia and South America. The causes of IBD remain unsolved; however, the high rates of disease in Western countries and its emergence in newly industrialized countries suggest that environmental factors associated with urbanization, modernization, or Western diets may be pertinent to understanding the pathogenesis of the disease.