How Does the Epidemiology of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Differ between East and West? A Korean Perspective

Background: Though low compared with those in Western countries, the incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are rapidly increasing in Asia. If we could understand the differences in IBD epidemiology between Asian and Western countries, we might gain insights into the etiopathogenesis of IBD as well as guidance for personalized therapy. Summary: In Asia, unlike in the West, Crohn’s disease (CD) predominantly occurs in men and involves a high prevalence of perianal fistulas. Moreover, in Korean CD patients, ileocolonic involvement is predominant, whereas isolated colonic involvement is very uncommon. In both ulcerative colitis (UC) and CD, extraintestinal manifestations, such as primary sclerosing cholangitis, as well as a positive family history of IBD are less frequent in Asian patients. However, as the prevalence of IBD rises in Korea, so does the frequency of a positive family history. While the colectomy rate among Korean UC patients is lower, the intestinal resection rate in CD patients is similar in Korea and in the West. Infectious problems that can adversely influence IBD management are Published online: January 14, 2017 Suk-Kyun Yang, MD, PhD Department of Gastroenterology University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center 88 Olympic-ro 43-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul 05505 (South Korea) E-Mail sky @ amc.seoul.kr © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel www.karger.com/iid Contribution from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) International Committee sponsored symposia “Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Is It Different between East and West?” held during the Digestive Disease Week 2016, in San Diego, USA, on May 22, 2016.