Rise in IBD among young kids ‘baffling’ experts. What’s behind the surge?
Global News
Canada has one of the highest rates of inflammatory bowel disease in the world, and that number is likely to dramatically increase in the next decade, especially among children.
Canada has one of the highest rates of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the world, and that number is likely to dramatically increase in the next decade, especially among children, according to a recent report.
The 2023 report, released June 1 by Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, found a surge of new cases of IBD among children under the age of six over the past five years, warning the disease can lead to growth stunting, delay of puberty and deficits in bone development.
IBD, which includes ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. It can lead to debilitating symptoms such as diarrhea, rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, fatigue, weight loss and potentially life-threatening complications, according to the Canadian Digestive Health Foundation.
“We are seeing that the number of new diagnoses made year after year still continues to climb in children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease,” Dr. Gil Kaplan, gastroenterologist and professor at the University of Calgary, said.
“And one of the big impacts of that is this is a chronic, incurable disease. So if you’re diagnosed at age 15 with inflammatory bowel disease, this disease is with you and you’re going to be managed within the health-care system for the rest of your life.”
In 2018, around 270,000 Canadians were living with IBD. That number increased to 322,600 (0.8 per cent of the population) in 2023, the Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, report stated. The number is forecast to rise by 2.44 per cent every year, meaning in 2035, 470,000 Canadians (1.1 per cent of the population) could be living with IBD.
The rising number of people being diagnosed with the disease is largely driven by pediatric-onset IBD, the authors of the report stated. They noted the rate among Canadian youth has been growing at an average 1.23 per cent year-over-year. If that trend continues, that means the IBD rate could climb from 15.6 per 100,000 Canadian kids in 2023 to potentially 18 per 100,000 in 2035.
Part of the reason IBD is growing in numbers is because people are also living longer and there are more treatment options, explained Lori Radke, the president and CEO of Crohn’s and Colitis Canada.