Is IBD a genetically inherited disease?
Approximately 25% of IBD patients have a direct relative who also has the disease, leading scientists to believe that it may be hereditary. A responsible gene, however, has not yet been identified. IBD affects men and women equally and can occur at any age, from young children to the elderly. Regionally, the diseases are most often found in the United States, Canada and Europe, although the number of cases is rising in the industrialized parts of Asia. Jewish Americans are four to five times more likely to develop IBD than the population as a whole.
