Inflammatory Bowel Disease on the Rise Globally in the Elderly

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 4, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in older adults has become a global public health burden, according to a study published in the Jan. 31, 2025, issue of Autoimmunity Reviews.

Liji Chen, from the Second Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China, and colleagues assessed the global burden of IBD in the elderly. The analysis included data from the Global Burden of Disease Study.

The researchers found that during the study period (1990 to 2019), the number of IBD prevalent cases, incident cases, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and deaths in older adults increased significantly. There was a trend downward for age-standardized rates of incidence, prevalence, DALYs, and mortality. Consistently high disease burdens were seen in the Americas, European regions, and high Sociodemographic Index (SDI) countries. The fastest growth in prevalence and incidence and the fastest decline in DALYs and mortality were seen in middle SDI countries. For prevalence, incidence, and DALYs for IBD, the age-standardized rates were highest in the 60- to 64-year-old age group, while age-standardized rates of mortality were highest in the 80- to 84-year-old and 85- to 89-year-old age groups. There were no gender differences observed.

“Consequently, public health officials need to recognize the influence of aging populations and other determinants on the burden of IBD among older individuals, crafting tailored interventions to mitigate this burden effectively,” the authors write.

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