7.2% increase per year in children under the age of 5 diagnosed with IBD. (Graph by Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences)
Rates of inflammatory bowel disease in Canadian children are among the highest in the world, and they have risen annually over the past decade. A new study identified children under 16 in five Canadian provinces who were diagnosed with IBD between 1999 to 2010. In those 11 years, cases of IBD in children five and younger have increased 7.2% each year. More research is necessary to identify the cause for the increased frequency of pediatric IBD, but study authors suspect a combination of environmental risk factors, such as early life exposure to antibiotics, diet, or lower levels of vitamin D in Canadians.
Authors:
Eric I Benchimol, Charles N Bernstein, Alain Bitton, Matthew W Carroll, Harminder Singh, Anthony R Otley, Maria Vutcovici, Wael El-Matary, Geoffrey C Nguyen, Anne M Griffiths, David R Mack, Kevan Jacobson, Nassim Mojaverian, Divine Tanyingoh, Yunsong Cui, Zoann J Nugent, Janie Coulombe, Laura E Targownik, Jennifer L Jones, Desmond Leddin, Sanjay K Murthy, and Gilaad G Kaplan
Corresponding author:
Eric Benchimol, ICES, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Inflammatory Bowel Disease Centre, Ottawa, ON, Email: EBenchimol@cheo.on.ca
Original paper published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology on April 18, 2017.
