Evidence-based On-call

Inflammatory bowel disease

Prevalence
Clinical features
Differential Diagnosis
Investigations
Therapy
Prevention
Prognosis

Prevalence

New-onset Crohn's disease ^b

and ulcerative colitis is rare, ^d but relapses are common in patients with known disease ^b

Note:

The prevalence of Crohn's disease in one US county was 0.14% ^b
50% of patients undergoing sigmoidoscopy for a first attack of colitis (diarrhoea and rectal inflammation on sigmoidoscopy) have inflammatory bowel disease (95% CI: 40% to 58%) ^c
A third of patients with Crohn's disease have active disease (32%: 95% CI: 24% to 41%) ^c