The Changing Face of IBD: Beyond the Western World

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has become a global disease, with rising incidence in non-Western cohorts such as Asia and Latin America.¹ These newly industrialized countries are in an “acceleration in incidence” stage, while Western countries are in a “compounding prevalence” stage as new cases level out, but prevalence climbs steadily.¹ Incidence is varied throughout Asia and remains comparatively lower than in Western countries; this discrepancy is influenced by environmental risk factors such as diets high in fat, animal protein, sugar, fast food, and food additives, which are common in the Western world.² In Latin America and the Caribbean, the incidence of IBD is also increasing, but is still less than in Western countries, and variance between countries depends on the level of urbanization and industrialization.³ Risk factors are like those of Asia, and also include inadequate living conditions, the absence of exposure to infectious diseases, treated water, and a limited ability to differentiate the diagnosis of infectious diseases, representing a key difference compared with the Western world.³ Treatment within these groups seems to be similarly effective compared with the Western world, although some areas of Asia and Latin America face more barriers to accessing healthcare, which is a key area that global health care could target.^3,4

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