Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Dec 1;33(1S Suppl 1):e383-e389.
doi: 10.1097/MEG.0000000000002107.

Population-based incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel diseases in Milan (Northern Italy), and estimates for Italy

Emanuele Crocetti  1 , Walter Bergamaschi  2 , Antonio Giampiero Russo  1
Affiliations

Population-based incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel diseases in Milan (Northern Italy), and estimates for Italy

Emanuele Crocetti et al. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. .

Abstract

Objective: A reliable measure of the burden of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, are essential to monitor their epidemiology and plan appropriate health services.

Methods: This is a population-based study carried out in the Milan Agency for Health Protection. Incident and prevalent cases were identified according to specific codes in hospital discharges and copayment exemptions. Age-standardized incidence rates were computed for 2015-2018 and yearly rates from 2010 to 2018, as well as annual prevalence and prevalence on 31 December 2018. Incidence and prevalence estimates for Italy were also produced.

Results: During 2015-2018, 3434 citizens had an IBD diagnosis, 2154 (62.7%) ulcerative colitis and 1.280 (37.3%) Crohn's disease. Age-adjusted incidence rates were 15.3 [95% confidence interval (CI), 14.7-16.0] for ulcerative colitis and 9.4 (8.9-9.9) for Crohn's disease. Incidence was stable during 2010-2018 for both diseases. On 31 December 2018, there were 15 141 prevalent patients, corresponding to a proportion of 442.3 every 100 000 inhabitants/year (95% CI, 435.6-449.8). Prevalence proportion has increased to around +10% per year from 2010 to 2018. Projections for Italy assessed the burden of IBD in more than 15 000 new cases/year (55% ulcerative colitis) and around 260 000 prevalent cases (62% ulcerative colitis).

Conclusions: The exploitation of administrative data provides reliable and up-to-date measures of the burden of disease. Incidence of IBDs is stable while prevalence notably grows. The burden of IBDs and the consequent need for care and follow-up is going to increase in the future.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Milan Agency for Health Protection. Ulcerative colitis: average age-specific incidence rates per 100.000 inhabitants, 2015–2018, by sex.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Milan Agency for Health Protection. Crohn’s disease, average age-specific incidence rates per 100.000 inhabitants, 2015–2018, by sex.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Milan Agency for Health Protection. Ulcerative colitis, annual age-standardized incidence rates for 2010–2018, by sex.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
Milan Agency for Health Protection. Crohn’s disease, annual age-standardized incidence rates for 2010–2018, by sex.
Fig. 5.
Fig. 5.
Milan Agency for Health Protection. Age-specific point prevalence (on 31 December 2018) for Crohn’s diseases and ulcerative colitis.
Fig. 6.
Fig. 6.
Milan Agency for Health Protection. Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) age-standardized yearly cumulative prevalence for Crohn’s diseases and ulcerative colitis from 2010 to 2018.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Sairenji T, Collins KL, Evans DV. An update on inflammatory bowel disease. Prim Care 2017; 44:673–692. - PubMed
    1. Kaplan GG, Bernstein CN, Coward S, Bitton A, Murthy SK, Nguyen GC, et al. . The impact of inflammatory bowel disease in Canada 2018: epidemiology. J Can Assoc Gastroenterol 2019; 2:S6–S16. - PMC - PubMed
    1. GBD 2017 Inflammatory Bowel Disease Collaborators. The global, regional, and national burden of inflammatory bowel disease in 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol 2020; 5:17–30. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ng SC, Shi HY, Hamidi N, Underwood FE, Tang W, Benchimol EI, et al. . Worldwide incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease in the 21st century: a systematic review of population-based studies. Lancet 2018; 390:2769–2778. - PubMed
    1. Galeone C, Pelucchi C, Barbera G, Citterio C, La Vecchia C, Franchi A. Crohn’s disease in Italy: a critical review of the literature using different data sources. Dig Liver Dis 2017; 49:459–466. - PubMed