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Epidemiology of ulcerative colitis

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is most commonly seen in late adolescence and early adulthood although it may occur at any age. A small peak in incidence after the fifth decade has been observed in some populations (1).

The condition affects both males and females equally (1).

There is an annual incidence of 5-8/100,000 in most communities of Celtic and Anglo-Saxon origin in north-western Europe, North America and New Zealand. The prevalence of symptomatic disease in north-western Europe is 70-150/100,000. This disease is very uncommon in Asia and Africa. As in Crohn's disease, familial clustering may be seen.

NICE state (2):

  • around 146,000 people in the UK with a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis (Crohn's & Colitis UK)
  • cause of ulcerative colitis is unknown
  • can develop at any age, but peak incidence is between the ages of 15 and 25 years, with a second, smaller peak between 55 and 65 years (although this second peak has not been universally demonstrated).

Reference:


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