11 / 12
Page 49
Notes:
allied
academies
J Gastroenterol Dig Dis 2017 | Volume 2, Issue 3
World Gastroenterological &
Gastroenterology and Endoscopy
October 30-31, 2017 | Toronto, Canada
World Congress on
IBD a new world epidemic
Nahla Azzam
King Saud University, Saudi Arabia
I
nflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an autoimmune
disease entity of unknown etiology comprised of Crohn’s
disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). IBD mainly occurs
in genetically predisposed individuals in response to
unrecognized environmental triggers. In 2004, it was
reported that approximately 1.4 million and 2.2 million
individuals carry the disease in North America and Europe,
respectively. A more recent time-trend analysis identified
Europe, Asia and the middle east as areas with highest
annual incidence rates of UC (24.3 per 100,000 person-
years in Europe, 6.3 per 100,000 person-years in Asia and
the Middle East, and 19.2 per 100,000 person-years in North
America) and CD (12.7 per 100,000 person-years in Europe,
5.0 person-years in Asia and the Middle East, and 20.2 per
100,000 person-years in North America). Europe and North
America harbored the highest reported prevalence values
for UC (505 per 100,000 persons in Europe; and 249 per
100,000 persons in North America) and CD (322 per 100,000
persons in Europe and 319 per 100,000 persons in North
America. Consequently, the disease has been labeled as an
emerging healthcare problem that requires public attention
in many parts of the world therefore large registries and
databases have been developed worldwide which have led
to better characterization of disease course and phenotype.
Similar efforts were made in developing countries such as
China and Japan with the help of national and international
organizations mainly to intervene before the occurrence
of complications, which are part of the natural history of
the disease when inflammation goes unopposed. Multiple
reports have indicated that increasing numbers of IBD
patients are being diagnosed in Saudi Arabia every year. A
data registry, the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Information
System (IBDIS), was established in Riyadh and has been
used to register CD and UC patients diagnosed in Riyadh
since 2009. Limited numbers of cases from other cities
such as Dammam and Jeddah have been sequestered into
the registry due lack of resources. To date, more than 1900
patients have been registered and it is believed that many
more cases exist. The majority of UC, and CD cases was young
people (17-40 years), with a male preponderance while its
behavior resembled that of western societies in terms of
age of onset, location and behavior. A similar pediatric IBD
database has been founded in Riyadh that recorded so far
more than 300 cases with an estimated mean incidence
rate of 0.2, 0.27, and 0.47 per 100,000 individuals for UC,
CD, and IBD, respectively. Middle East countries as well as
East Asia are experiencing a more than doubled increase
in IBD prevalence over the past decade. Evaluation of the
differences and rates in epidemiologic trends may help
researchers and clinicians estimate disease burden and
understand the reasons behind these differences, which may
hold the key to unravel the etiology of IBD.
Speaker Biography
She is an Associate Professor and Consultant of Gastroenterology & hepatology at King
Saud University. She is also a Board member of Saudi Gastroenterology Association.
e:
namazzam@gmail.com