Epidemiology and diagnosis of inflammatory bowel diseases

Background: Over the past three decades, inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) have been rapidly increasing in the African, South American, and Asian countries, including Korea. However, in Korea, the public awareness of IBD remains low, and diagnostic delay is not uncommon due to the physicians' lack of clinical experience. It is essential to understand the trends and regional differences in the epidemiology of IBD for proper diagnosis and treatment. Current Concepts: Although lower than those of the West, the prevalence and incidence of IBD in Korea rank among the highest in Asia and are steadily increasing. In the past 10 years, the prevalence of IBD has almost doubled, while its incidence has decreased gradually. As compared to Western IBD patients, Korean patients have higher proportion of proctitis in ulcerative colitis, male predominance, more ileocolonic involvement, and higher incidence of perianal fistula in Crohn disease. There is no single gold standard for the diagnosis of IBD. Thus, diagnosis can be made by clinical evaluation, including a detailed history taking, physical examination, and a combination of endoscopic, radiologic, laboratory, and histologic findings. Discussion and Conclusion: Population-based studies have revealed the current trends and characteristics of the epidemiology of IBD in Korea. Continued education and development of diagnostic tools will help clinicians to diagnose IBD accurately and differentiate it from other diseases such as intestinal tuberculosis.