Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Children and Adolescents

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a spectrum of conditions, including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), which can be characterized by chronic immune activation and inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Although IBD can be diagnosed at any age, 20% to 30% are diagnosed in childhood and young adulthood with an increased male predominance [1]. The true incidence and prevalence is approximately 2.1 to 15 per 100,000 for CD and 2.2 to 4.5 per 100,000 for UC [2]. Furthermore, the incidence in both CD and UC appears to be increasing in children of industrialized or Western nations [3,4].