The Incidence of UC is increasing: IT SEEMS!

I"m not sure if the incidents are increasing or because there is more access to information and discussion boards that more people are coming out and participating in forums. I had UC before the advent of the internet. We had a local CCFA meeting for Crohn's and UC patients in the small town I live in. We had about 7 members but we knew there were about 300 people in town with the disease (based on our local GIs count). Most of those people with IBD were not interested in attending a support group meeting because most of them were managing their respective diseases. It's true of this site too; most people here are struggling with their disease but the vast majority of those diagnosed with UC are not on these boards.

Sue

I agree with Sue, that it's likely because of the internet and such that it seems there are more and more cases.

It's just like the argument that many people make concerning the supposed link between the rise in autism cases and vaccines. I think that more kids are being diagnosed under the autism "umbrella" that there were 10-20 years ago because kids who were once just thought of as "weird" are being diagnosed with mild autism or Asperger's syndrome.

The Facts:

The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America estimates that over 1,000,000 people in America alone are afflicted with IBD. The Los Angeles Times recently reported that the number people afflicted with Crohn's and Colitis could have increased to up to 750,000 per illness. Thus estimating that the one million number could've increased 50%.

It is estimated that there are approximately 4,000,000+ cases of IBD worldwide.


The Lost Angeles Times recently reported that 55 people are diagnosed with Crohn's everyday in America. Taking into the Crohn's Foundation's statistic of the number of people afflicted with Crohn's and Colitis are equal, an astonishing 110 new people are diagnosed with Crohn's everyday in America.


Men and women are equally afflicted (in numbers).

Medical reports report that adolescents diagnosed with the condition have a 50-70% chance of having at least one surgical within 15 years of diagnosis.

Medical reports also show that IBD is more common in whites than non-whites. It is also very common in Jewish families.

Medical reports also show that height deficits are common in approximately 40% of the cases of Crohn's.

In 1998, a drug by the name of Remicade was FDA approved for the use in Crohn's disease. This was the first drug approved by the FDA for the use in Crohn's in nearly 30 years. {This is pure evidence that there is not enough research being performed}
IBD often goes undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Many people worldwide are unaware that they are afflicted with the condition because of the lack of awareness amongst the public as well as physicians.

Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower had IBD. He frequently consulted Dr. Burrill B. Crohn, the founder of Crohn's disease. His condition was not highly publicized.

about 20% of people with Crohn's have parents or siblings with some form of IBD.

IBD accounts for approximately 152,000 hospitalizations each year.

The cost of missed work days for IBD patients is estimated to be at least a one billion dollars per year.

Approximately 20 million people in America are afflicted with some type of Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or intestinal complications.
IBD is not only restricted to humans; it's found in cats, dogs, and other animals as well.

I wonder if IBD has anything to do with the increasing consumption of processed foods, mainly high fructose corn syrup. Old Hat, you do raise some interesting points.

The increased use of antibiotics that have entered the food chain ... / Old Hat (30 yrs with left-sided UC ... [etc.])

I totally agree with the antibiotic theory. Another article I read said they found a virus in the inflamed tissue of UCers causing the autoimmune reaction. This supposed virus has a similar structure to the herpes virus, also known to cause the immune system to flare and attack tissue and, also goes into remission. Stress also make herpes worse. Interesting, no?

Congrats on your success blueclassring!!

There is a huge increase in the number of IBD cases in South Africa. A few years back it mainly a 'jewish disease' in South Africa but these days it's spreading amongst both white and black South Africans. I had to wait 7 months for a colonoscopy.

The incidence of IBD is increasing in the big cities in South Africa but not in the rural areas. Maybe it's the fast food lifestyle in the big cities

Hi Blueclassring,
I found a link to the article you were asking about.

http://simplyhealingclinic.com/articles/crohns-colitis.html

Best,
TPT

blueclassring said...
I wonder if IBD has anything to do with the increasing consumption of processed foods, mainly high fructose corn syrup. Old Hat, you do raise some interesting points.

Since being diagnosed with UC about a year ago, this has been one of my main contentions as well. I am near certain that all of the crap foods that are available to us to eat (they're practically all there is now) in western countries is killing us slowly. I immediately started the SCD diet and this is what brings it to your attention that "good food" is so hard to find. It is sadly amazing that nearly every food item of the thousands on all those shelves in the grocery store has some sort of laboratory concocted additive in it. Luckily I live in a big city in SoCal so we have more and more healthy food stores to choose from- for a cost of course (expensive!).

Even the foods that I don't eat like breads, I still read the ingredients since my wife and kid eat them. It amazes me that almost every bag of bread now has HFCS in it, as well as all that other crap that doesn't need to be in bread. I can't help but wonder what the prevalence of IBD was pre 1970's when HFCS started coming into mass use, or what the prevalence was pre-WW2 before we started developing all these "advanced" foods.

I watched the documentary "The Future of Food" on Hulu.com the other day and it is a GOOD SHOW. It noted that 97% of the worlds edible plants/veggies were extinct by around 1900! Has anyone else heard of this claim? Heard the new movie "Food Inc" is coming out too, which is supposed to be full of great info as well...

Too bad none of us were into reading food ingredients before we got sick aye?! (of course the people who did knowledgeably read food ingredients aren't sick with IBD either are they)

Old Hat said...
I had a look at the article-- written by a naturopath who says that 90% of UC cases are caused by CMV. The concept of viral cause for UC was kicked around on this forum a couple yrs ago, but I've not seen any references to medical research studies citing viral cause. It does seem like a possibility given the trouble that attacks of shingles can randomly cause, and the fact that UC looks like an interior rash when seen magnified thru a c-scope or flex-sig. This naturopath claims to be a microbiologist with a PH.D. / Old Hat (30 yrs with left-sided UC ... [etc.])

I've also questioned this as well. It seems highly likely that CMV/Herpes-family can be a cause given simply given it's known numbers. Maybe taking antibiotics kills our immune system and allows CMV to take over?

Interesting that the NY Department of Health says of it; "Anyone can become infected with CMV. Almost all people have been exposed to CMV by the time they reach adulthood." I wonder how many people with UC actually have some type of Herpes-family virus? I wonder how it would get in the gut though? How many have performed oral sex prior to UC? How many have been served food by a recently foreign born/raised food worker? How many have been served food by preparers that didn't wash their hands or wear gloves. Just a bunch of questions/data that need to be ruled out...

I wonder who has the most comprehensive historical data on UC (ideally pre-WW2)? I am very interested in finding the history of this "disease". Maybe the military, hospital, or doctors organizations have it?

HFCS is cheap...that's why it's used instead of sugar in products that need a sweetner. I agree with everything seconder said about it. I like to avoid it, but not because I think it causes UC. I just prefer to use sugar or honey to sweeten my foods.

Part of the reason DH and I make our own bread is to avoid HFCS and the preservatives that are in store-bought bread (I personally think it's disgusting how long store-bought bread remains mold-free). We have a bread machine, so it really doesn't take any additional time.

I'm in agreement that HFCS is detremental to our health. It's artificial(ie generated in a laboratory), and the human body has never been exposed to it. My disease is in fact traceable to eating rice, soy sauce, potatoes, or any complex carbohydrates. I'm doing fine as we speak since I've gone back on the SCD.