The increasing prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease

Mar 15, 2021 | Jennifer O'Hara | @jenohara | Comments (1)

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Inflammatory bowel disease is common, and it is becoming more common in many populations.

Dr. William Faubion Jr., a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist, says inflammatory bowel disease is an umbrella term that covers Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and that inflammatory bowel disease is an emerging public health problem.

"The most recent estimates would be that, depending on where you live and what region in the world you live, as many as 1 in 250, to 1 in 300 people may be affected with inflammatory bowel disease," says Dr. Faubion.

Dr. Faubion points out that inflammatory bowel disease is a combination of a complex genetic disease and an immunologic disease, as well as environmental variants or triggers.

In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Faubion explains that inflammatory bowel disease is very different from irritable bowel syndrome. He also describes symptoms, tests and treatments for inflammatory bowel disease, including how researchers are using artificial intelligence to determine the right medication for each patient.

To practice safe social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, this interview was conducted using video conferencing. The sound and video quality are representative of the technology used. For the safety of its patients, staff and visitors, Mayo Clinic has strict masking policies in place. Anyone shown without a mask was recorded prior to COVID-19 or recorded in an area not designated for patient care, where social distancing and other safety protocols were followed.

For more information and all your COVID-19 coverage, go to the Mayo Clinic News Network and mayoclinic.org.

Connect with others talking about inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and supporting one another in the Digestive Health support group.

Interested in more newsfeed posts like this? Go to the Podcasts blog.

This podcast was excellent. Thank you for offering it to your patients. Dr. Faubion grabbed my attention the first moment he was on screen! What a marvelous teacher, presenter, researcher and physician. His enthusiasm for this subject is actually contageious.

Thank you also for these podcasts, from the covid19 and infectius diseases to firbromaygia conference in Ireland, where I learned for the first time about this debilitating illness with which I've lived since I was in my 30's and never understood what was happening in my body.......of course for years it was a 'female' issue of emotions. I'm now 74. Only this year because of your podcast from Ireland did I begin to understand what was causing such pain for so long, why I was in agony and couldn't find a doctor or anyone to take it seriously. Now you do and I'm getting help from Mayo Jacksonville.

Thank you for everything you do to advocate for and stand with/beside your patients.
Elizabeth, ess77

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