Lesson from epidemiology of paediatric Crohn's disease

Recent epidemiological evidences indicate a tremendous increase in incidence and prevalence of the chronic multifactorial non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the western countries as well as in other geographical areas. These disorders result from an abnormal interplay between environment factors and host immunity, on a genetic susceptibility background. Among NCDs, the inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn’s disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC) and unclassified IBD (U-IBD), have become a global problem leading to serious morbidity, with a negative impact on health-related quality of life and a considerable economic burden on National Health Services.