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- Evolution of inflammatory bowel disease in Korea: a 60-year perspective on clinical and research development
- Suk-Kyun Yang
- Intest Res 2025;23(3):233-253. Published online June 23, 2025
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.5217/ir.2025.00073
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Abstract
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Supplementary Material
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ePub - Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) was once considered rare in Korea, with the first reported case documented in 1961. Since then, its incidence and prevalence have increased markedly, accompanied by significant progress in clinical care and research. This narrative review traces the historical evolution of IBD in Korea, dividing the timeline into 4 periods: 1960–1979, 1980–1999, 2000–2019, and 2020–2039. For each period, major developments in the research environment and trends, diagnostic process, patient population and characteristics, and treatment are outlined. Over the past 6 decades, diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in Korea have advanced markedly, transitioning from limited diagnostic capacity and symptom-based management to practices that align with global standards. Notably, Korean patients with IBD exhibit distinctive clinical features compared with Western counterparts, including a markedly higher proportion of proctitis and a lower long-term risk of colectomy in ulcerative colitis, and a substantially higher prevalence of perianal fistulas in Crohn’s disease, highlighting the need for population- specific strategies to advance personalized medicine. In parallel, the research landscape has evolved through multicenter collaborations, expanded research capacity, and growing international engagement, positioning Korea as an increasingly active contributor to the global IBD research community. Looking ahead, the future of IBD research in Korea is expected to be shaped by innovation-driven research, including advances in artificial intelligence, large-scale data integration, and deeper international collaboration. By tracing the clinical and research trajectory of IBD in Korea, this review offers insight into how the country has adapted to global trends and is preparing to meet future challenges.
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Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
- Rational design of nanotherapy for ulcerative colitis: New strategies, mechanistic approaches, and translational challenges
Wenyuan Xu, Qiulin Deng, Liuhong Chen, Xishun Zhou, Yao Dong, Chenran Ren, Xi Zeng, Deliang Cao
Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine.2026; 71: 102894. CrossRef - Endoscopic and pathologic findings of esophagogastroduodenal involvement in Crohn disease in Korea: a prospective single-center cohort study
Ga Hee Kim, Jihun Kim, Ji Yong Ahn, Sang Hyoung Park, Sung Wook Hwang, Byong Duk Ye, Hwoon-Yong Jung, Suk-Kyun Yang
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.2026; 32(5): 963. CrossRef - KASID and Intestinal Research journal: a central academic hub for research of intestinal diseases in the Asia-Pacific region
Jae Hee Cheon, Hye Kyung Hyun, You Sun Kim, Dong Il Park, Tae Il Kim, Dong Soo Han
Intestinal Research.2026; 24(1): 6. CrossRef - Comparative analysis of strain-specific gut microbiota dynamics and disease progression in DSS-induced murine colitis
Yeonsu Oh, Ho-Seong Cho
Korean Journal of Veterinary Service.2026; 49(1): 1. CrossRef - Can lifestyle restrictions prevent relapse in ulcerative colitis? A focus on quality of life
Jihye Park
Intestinal Research.2026; 24(2): 195. CrossRef
- Rational design of nanotherapy for ulcerative colitis: New strategies, mechanistic approaches, and translational challenges
- 8,728 View
- 165 Download
- 5 Crossref
Original Articles
- Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
- Temporal trend in the natural history of ulcerative colitis in a country with a low incidence of ulcerative colitis from 2000 through 2018
- Satimai Aniwan, Julajak Limsrivilai, Supot Pongprasobchai, Nonthalee Pausawasdi, Piyapan Prueksapanich, Natanong Kongtub, Rungsun Rerknimitr
- Intest Res 2021;19(2):186-193. Published online August 18, 2020
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.5217/ir.2020.00028
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Abstract
PDFPubReaderePub
- Background/Aims
The incidence of ulcerative colitis (UC) in Thailand (crude incidence rate of 0.28 per 100,000 persons) is much lower than in the West. The burden of UC varies in different populations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the natural history of UC over the two decades in Bangkok, Thailand.
Methods
This retrospective study included patients who were diagnosed with UC between 2000 and 2018 in 2 university hospitals. To evaluate changes in the disease course, we stratified patients into 2000–2009 cohort and 2010–2018 cohort. The cumulative probability of endoscopic healing, UC-related hospitalization and colectomy was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method.
Results
A total of 291 UC patients were followed for total of 2,228 person-years. Comparison between 2 cohorts, there were no differences in disease pattern and severity whereas an increase in the combination use of oral and topical mesalamine and the early use of thiopurine was observed. Only 1% of patients for each cohort required biologic agent at 5 years. The rate of achieving mucosal healing increased from 15% to 46% at 3 years (P< 0.01). The rate of UC-related hospitalization decreased from 30% to 21% at 5 years (P< 0.05). The rate of colectomy decreased from 6% to 2% at 5 years (P< 0.05).
Conclusions
The natural history of UC in a low incidence country was less aggressive than the West. Over the past two decades, the rates of UC-related hospitalization and colectomy have been decreasing which were similar to the West. -
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by- Development of a bio-inspired phagocytic stable nanoghost with anti-inflammatory properties for management of inflammation in ulcerative colitis
Ahmed Mohsin Huran Al-Jawadri, Zahra Karami, Ismaeil Haririan, Mohammad Akrami, Mahdi Gholami
Journal of Drug Targeting.2025; 33(7): 1215. CrossRef - Impact of Sarcopenia on Clinical Course of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Korea
Kwangwoo Nam, Jae Yong Lee, Yousun Ko, Kyung Won Kim, Ho-Su Lee, Seung Wook Hong, Jin Hwa Park, Sung Wook Hwang, Dong-Hoon Yang, Byong Duk Ye, Jeong-Sik Byoun, Seung-Jae Myung, Suk-Kyun Yang, Sang Hyoung Park
Digestive Diseases and Sciences.2023; 68(6): 2165. CrossRef - Comparison of 1-Year Colectomy Risk Between the US and Korean Patients with Acute Severe Ulcerative Colitis: A Propensity Score Matching Analysis
Eun Soo Kim, Kyeong Ok Kim, Byung Ik Jang, Eun Young Kim, Yoo Jin Lee, Hyun Seok Lee, Joon Seop Lee, Sung Kook Kim, Yun Jin Jung, Sang-Bum Kang, Manasi Agrawal, Ryan Ungaro, Jean-Frederic Colombel
Digestive Diseases and Sciences.2022; 67(7): 2866. CrossRef - Infliximab versus Adalimumab: Can We Choose the Right One for the Right Patients with Ulcerative Colitis?
Sang Hyoung Park, Byong Duk Ye, Suk-Kyun Yang
Gut and Liver.2022; 16(1): 138. CrossRef - Impact of Immunosuppressive Therapy on the Performance of Latent Tuberculosis Screening Tests in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Chan Hyuk Park, Jung Ho Park, Yoon Suk Jung
Journal of Personalized Medicine.2022; 12(3): 507. CrossRef - Update on the epidemiology of inflammatory bowel disease in Asia: where are we now?
Sang Hyoung Park
Intestinal Research.2022; 20(2): 159. CrossRef - Oral beclomethasone dipropionate as an add-on therapy and response prediction in Korean patients with ulcerative colitis
Kyuwon Kim, Hee Seung Hong, Kyunghwan Oh, Jae Yong Lee, Seung Wook Hong, Jin Hwa Park, Sung Wook Hwang, Dong-Hoon Yang, Jeong-Sik Byeon, Seung-Jae Myung, Suk-Kyun Yang, Byong Duk Ye, Sang Hyoung Park
The Korean Journal of Internal Medicine.2022; 37(6): 1140. CrossRef - Inflammatory bowel disease in Korea: epidemiology and pathophysiology
Jung Won Lee, Chang Soo Eun
The Korean Journal of Internal Medicine.2022; 37(5): 885. CrossRef - What Are the Different Phenotypes of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Asia?
Su Bee Park, Jin Young Yoon, Jae Myung Cha
Gut and Liver.2022; 16(5): 676. CrossRef - Natural history of inflammatory bowel disease: a comparison between the East and the West
Eun Mi Song, Suk-Kyun Yang
Intestinal Research.2022; 20(4): 418. CrossRef - The epidemiology of inflammatory bowel disease in Asia and Asian immigrants to Western countries
Satimai Aniwan, Priscila Santiago, Edward V. Loftus, Sang Hyoung Park
United European Gastroenterology Journal.2022; 10(10): 1063. CrossRef - Current status of IBD and surgery of Crohn's disease in Thailand
Woramin Riansuwan, Julajak Limsrivilai
Annals of Gastroenterological Surgery.2021; 5(5): 597. CrossRef - Endoscopic Mucosal Healing as a Treatment Target in Ulcerative Colitis: Does It Have the Same Role in Asian Patients?
Suk-Kyun Yang, Sang Hyoung Park, Byong Duk Ye
Gut and Liver.2021; 15(6): 942. CrossRef
- Development of a bio-inspired phagocytic stable nanoghost with anti-inflammatory properties for management of inflammation in ulcerative colitis
- 8,989 View
- 200 Download
- 14 Web of Science
- 13 Crossref
- Familial aggregation of inflammatory bowel disease in patients with ulcerative colitis
- Akshita Gupta, Sawan Bopanna, Saurabh Kedia, Dawesh Prakash Yadav, Sandeep Goyal, Saransh Jain, Govind Makharia, Vineet Ahuja
- Intest Res 2017;15(3):388-394. Published online June 12, 2017
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.5217/ir.2017.15.3.388
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Abstract
PDFPubReaderePub
<b>Background/Aims</b><br/> Familial occurrence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is well documented. Reports from Western countries have shown a higher familial occurrence of ulcerative colitis (UC) in first- and second-degree relatives than that in the Asian UC population. No data are currently available from the Indian subcontinent in this regard. We present our data on the familial aggregation of UC.
Methods Records of patients with UC followed at the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi from August 2004 to January 2016 were reviewed. Details regarding the prevalence of family history and characteristics of these patients were recorded. Affected family members were contacted and disease characteristics were noted for assessment of familial aggregation.
Results Of the 2,058 UC patients included in the analysis, a positive family history of IBD was confirmed in 31 patients (1.5%), 24 (77.4%) of whom had only first-degree relatives affected. All the affected relatives had UC and none had Crohn's disease. Among first-degree relatives, siblings were found to have the highest prevalence of IBD (53.3%), followed by parents (26.7%).
Conclusions The probability of occurrence of IBD in family members of affected North Indian UC patients is lower than that reported in Western populations.
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Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by- Translating IBD Genomics into Clinical Practice
Pranjal Singh, Mridul Mahajan, Rohit Garg, Himanshu Narang, Vineet Ahuja
Digestive Diseases and Sciences.2026;[Epub] CrossRef - Inflammatory bowel disease phenotypes in diverse populations: a global comparative analysis
Charles N Bernstein, Gilaad G Kaplan, Zoann Nugent, Vineet Ahuja, Ashwin N Ananthakrishnan, Rupa Banerjee, Johan Burisch, Yan Chen, David Epstein, Angela J Forbes, Lorant Gonczi, Yubei Gu, Jeffri Gunawan, Dao Viet Hang, Jamilya Kaibullayeva, Uri Kopylov,
Journal of Crohn's and Colitis.2026;[Epub] CrossRef - The Impact of Smoking on Ulcerative Colitis and Interaction With Family History: A Population‐Based Cohort Study
Hyeong Sik Ahn, Heather Swan, Sayada Zartasha Kazmi, Young Shin Kim, Gahwi Hong, Seeun Choi, Taeuk Kang, Minjung Kim, Jaewoo Cha, Hoo Jae Hann, Hyun Jung Kim
Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.2025; 40(2): 446. CrossRef - Inflammatory bowel disease in south Asia: a scoping review
Shabari Shenoy, Anuraag Jena, Carrie Levinson, Vishal Sharma, Parakkal Deepak, Tina Aswani-Omprakash, Shaji Sebastian, Jean-Frederic Colombel, Manasi Agrawal
The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology.2025; 10(3): 259. CrossRef - Shared Pathophysiology of Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Psoriasis: Unraveling the Connection
Shadi Tabbarah, Hakam Sulaiman, Frank Ansah Owusu, Megha Rajeev Joshi, Nitheesha Reddy Marepalli, Nohelia Pino, Samra Saleem Azam, Aaliya Ali Ahmed, José Abraham Suárez Álvarez
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Joyce W Y Mak, Sun Yang, Annalise Stanley, Xiaoqing Lin, Mark Morrison, Jessica Y L Ching, Junkun Niu, Amy L Wilson‐O'Brien, Rui Feng, Whitney Tang, Amy L Hamilton, Leo Or, Gina L Trakman, Winnie Y Y Lin, Joseph J Y Sung, Ming Hu Chen, Yinglei Mao, Michae
JGH Open.2022; 6(6): 369. CrossRef - Does the road to primary prevention of inflammatory bowel disease start from childhood?
Saurabh Kedia, Vineet Ahuja
JGH Open.2022; 6(6): 365. CrossRef - Cross Talk between Gut Microbiota and Intestinal Mucosal Immunity in the Development of Ulcerative Colitis
Junfeng Zou, Chen Liu, Shu Jiang, Dawei Qian, Jinao Duan, Anthony R. Richardson
Infection and Immunity.2021;[Epub] CrossRef - Factors Affecting Ulcerative Colitis Flare-Ups: Associations With Smoking Habits and Other Patient Characteristics
Nadim H Malibary, Mohammed A Ezzat, Ahmed M Mogharbel, Khalid A Kouzaba, Abdulaziz A Alkadi, Usama H Malki, Sultan M Gharib, Faisal M Altowairqi, Omar I Saadah, Mahmoud H Mosli
Cureus.2021;[Epub] CrossRef - Inflammatory bowel disease
Mayank Jain, Jayanthi Venkataraman
Indian Journal of Medical Research.2021; 153(4): 421. CrossRef - Familial aggregation of inflammatory bowel disease in India: prevalence, risks and impact on disease behavior
Rupa Banerjee, Partha Pal, Susan Hutfless, B Girish Ganesh, D Nageshwar Reddy
Intestinal Research.2019; 17(4): 486. CrossRef - Decreased Breg/Th17 Ratio Improved the Prognosis of Patients with Ulcerative Colitis
Xue Bing, Liang Linlang, Chen Keyan
Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.2018; 2018: 1. CrossRef - Is the emergence of inflammatory bowel disease a prime example of “the third epidemiological transition”?
Saurabh Kedia, Vineet Ahuja
Indian Journal of Gastroenterology.2018; 37(3): 183. CrossRef
- Translating IBD Genomics into Clinical Practice
- 9,684 View
- 49 Download
- 14 Web of Science
- 13 Crossref
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