- How
many ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s
disease (CD) patients are there in Sweden?
There are approximately 45,000 - 55,000 UC patients,
and 35,000 - 40,000 CD patients in Sweden. If
all forms of IBD including proctitis, microscopic
and indeterminate colitis are included, the
IBD patient number is perhaps 100,000. Generally,
the prevalence (all patients) of IBD in Sweden
is approximately 1% of the population. The prevalence
in Sweden is about 10 times more than Japan
(0.1%). However, the prevalence is increasing
sharply in Japan now whereas in Sweden, it is
stable high. If we look at the numbers of IBD
patients in Sweden around 1945, the prevalence
was also increasing sharply at that time. A
similar pattern was seen in the U.S., U.K.,
Canada and now in Japan. This is probably due
to the dietary and environmental factors. The
incidence (new patients) of IBD in Sweden is
10-12/100,000 for UC including proctitis, and
5-7/100,000 for CD.
- What
are the male/female ratios for UC and CD in
Sweden?
In Sweden, UC is more common among males. This
is probably due to smoking. Smoking seems to
protect from UC. We almost never see smokers
among the UC population. On the other hand,
CD is more common among females, and smoking
seems to promote CD. Many female CD patients
are heavy smokers. Smoking is also related to
the prognosis in CD. The disease is much worse
if a patient continues smoking. Patients with
CD who stop smoking, there are fewer relapses
and a less severe course of disease.
Many papers have reported that appendectomy
protects against UC. So, smoking and appendectomy
(due to appendicitis) seem to protect against
UC but there seem to be no particular protection
against CD.
- What
are the mean ages when UC and CD are first diagnosed?
The peak age range for first diagnosed ages
for IBD is between 15-30 years, which is similar
to Japan.
- What
do you think will be the trend of CD and UC
in term of disease incidence?
In UC, the first diagnosed age seems to be getting
older, and that of CD seems to get younger.
The prevalence of IBD is thought to be increasing
all the time. In Sweden, the prevalence of IBD
will perhaps increase to more than 1% in the
next 20 years. Similarly, IBD prevalence in
Japan will perhaps reach 1%, because the time
lag between Sweden and Japan is approximately
20 years. IBD will eventually be a more common
disease group, like rheumatoid arthritis and
hypertension in Japan.
Top 
Treatment for UC and
CD in Sweden 
Interview Report 
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