Global prevalence and incidence of inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of population-based studies.

Aim: The aim of this study was to systematically review the global epidemiology of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

Background: IBD is a global concern, and its incidence is rising worldwide.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science from 1 January 2000 to 14 July 2022 using MeSH keywords. All population-based studies that reported the incidence or prevalence of IBD, Crohn's disease (CD), or ulcerative colitis (UC) were included. Random effect models were applied to combine the prevalence and incidence.

Results: Findings from 215 studies were analyzed. The global prevalence rates of IBD, CD, and UC were 229.7 per 100,000 (95% confidence interval: 212.4 to 247.0), 84.2 (78.5 to 89.9), and 120.4 (110.5 to 130.3), and the incidence was 9.7 per 100,000 person-years (9.2 to 10.2), 4.0 (3.8 to 4.2), and 5.0 (4.6 to 5.3), respectively. The highest IBD and CD incidence were seen in Oceania (21.3 [12.9 to 29.7] and 12.2 [8.5 to 15.9], respectively), while the highest incidence of UC was reported in North America (9.8 [6.7 to 12.8]). According to the pooled prevalence, Europe had the highest prevalence rates of IBD and UC (348.4 [315.2 to 381.5] and 198.6 [181.6 to 215.6], respectively), whereas Oceania was the continent with the highest CD prevalence (173.6 [151.8 to 195.4]).

Conclusion: Our findings showed that the incidence and prevalence of IBD in both developed and developing nations are mounting. Special focus should be placed on understanding and managing pediatric CD cases, necessitating targeted research and early interventions.