Intest Res Search

CLOSE


Intest Res > Volume 11(4); 2013 > Article
Intestinal Research 2013;11(4):250-255.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5217/ir.2013.11.4.250    Published online October 30, 2013.
Epidemiology of Ulcerative Colitis in South Asia
Amarender Singh Puri
Department of Gastroenterology, GB Pant Hospital, New Delhi, India
Abstract
The South Asian region comprising of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka is multi-ethnic with vast cultural differences. Yet they have in common, a strong predisposition for inflammatory bowel disease especially ulcerative colitis (UC). The vast majority of the population is rural with limited access to health care facilities. Community based studies on epidemiology of UC are sparse making it difficult to extrapolate data for the whole region. India has the highest incidence and prevalence of UC in Asia which is higher than the published figures for Korea and Japan, the two leading industrialized countries in Asia. Asian diaspora studies have revealed an unmasking of the disease when natives of this region migrate to countries with a higher prevalence of the disease. Data mainly from the UK suggests a higher incidence of the disease in Asian migrants compared to the indigenous population. Incidence data from within the sub-continent suggests a higher incidence of the disease in India as compared to its southern neighbour Sri Lanka suggesting a north-south gradient. Time trend studies from India do not suggest an increasing incidence of disease as has been observed in other parts of Asia. Some data point to phenotypically different disease in south Asian patients as compared to Caucasians. Familial clustering and cumulative colectomy rates are higher in Western patients as compared to their Asian counterparts. Asian patients with UC have a significantly lower risk of development of colorectal carcinoma vis a vis the Caucasian population. There is a pressing need for more studies on the epidemiology, long-term outcome and natural history of the disease in this region. (Intest Res 2013;11:250-255)
Key Words: Inflammatory bowel disease, Ulcerative colitis, Epidemiology, Incidence, Prevalance
TOOLS
Share :
Facebook Twitter Linked In Google+ Line it
METRICS Graph View
  • 5 Crossref
  •   Scopus
  • 2,504 View
  • 40 Download
We recommend


ABOUT
ARTICLE & TOPICS
Article Category

Browse all articles >

TOPICS

Browse all articles >

BROWSE ARTICLES
EDITORIAL POLICY
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Editorial Office
Room 310, Lotte Gold Rose II, 31 Seolleung-ro 86-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 06193, Korea
Tel: +82-2-957-6145    Fax: +82-2-957-6146    E-mail: thekasid@irjournal.org                

Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association for the Study of Intestinal Diseases.

Developed in M2PI

Close layer
prev next