Who gets Crohns disease?
It is estimated that up to 1.4 million Americans may be affected with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Of those people, 500,000 have Crohn’s disease. Gastroenterologists diagnose Crohn’s disease in men and women of all ages — including people in their seventies and eighties; however, the majority of cases are diagnosed before age 30 in men and women of Northern Europe and North America. Studies have shown that family history may play a role in the patterns of diagnosis of Crohn’s disease. In fact, 20% to 25% of patients may have a close relative with IBD. However, while IBD tends to run in families, a clear heritable pattern has not been established.
