Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Key Data and Statistics
Each year, CDC scientists carry out multiple studies on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — an umbrella term for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis — to build a clearer picture of how common the condition is and the burden it places on patients and the health system. Those findings are published and interpreted in peer-reviewed articles that help inform and support best practices in care. The sections below draw together what that research shows about the prevalence, costs, complications and management of IBD, with links to the underlying studies.
How Common Is IBD?
In 2015, an estimated 1.3% of US adults — around 3 million people — reported having been diagnosed with IBD. That prevalence varied meaningfully by sociodemographic factors, including age, race and ethnicity, education and income, rather than being spread evenly across the population. In practical terms, IBD is far from rare, and its uneven distribution means some communities shoulder more of the burden than others.
The condition also appears to be growing more common among older adults. Among Medicare beneficiaries, prevalence rose steadily between 2001 and 2018 across every racial and ethnic group studied, with the steepest increase recorded among non-Hispanic Black adults. That points to an ageing IBD population whose care needs are likely to keep growing.
Health Care Use and Costs
IBD places heavy demands on the health system. Compared with adults who do not have it, people with IBD use more care of almost every kind — more doctor’s visits, prescriptions, emergency department trips, hospitalisations and surgeries. They are also more likely to undergo major gastrointestinal ambulatory surgery, and those who do more often live with additional conditions, such as sleep apnoea, COPD or mental illness, that can heighten surgical risk.
Geography plays a part too. In 2015–16, digestive-disease office-visit rates ran three times higher in urban than rural areas, yet by 2017 hospitalisations and emergency visits for Crohn’s disease were significantly higher in rural areas. Broader hospital trends have been relatively stable: rates for a primary Crohn’s diagnosis held steady from 2003 to 2013, even as hospitalisations listing Crohn’s as a secondary diagnosis climbed from 44.2 to 59.7 per 100,000 people, and average hospitalisation costs levelled off after 2008, reaching about $11,345 for Crohn’s disease and $13,412 for ulcerative colitis in 2014. Treatment, though, has clearly shifted — between 2011 and 2020 biologic prescriptions increased while corticosteroid use declined among those patients. Older adults with ulcerative colitis also faced a higher risk of COVID-19 hospitalisation than peers without IBD.
Common Comorbidities
IBD rarely travels alone. Adults with the disease are more likely than others to also carry a range of chronic conditions — among them cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, cancer, arthritis, kidney and liver disease, and migraine or severe headache. Bone health is a concern as well: among Medicare beneficiaries aged 66 and older, those with IBD were more likely to be hospitalised for hip fractures, and to face 30-day readmissions and longer stays once admitted. This overlap complicates day-to-day care, since managing IBD well means keeping an eye on problems that reach well beyond the gut.
Managing the Disease
There is encouraging news on prevention. Adults with IBD tend to be more engaged with preventive care than those without it, reporting more advice on smoking cessation and diet, more colon-cancer screening and HIV testing, and higher uptake of pneumococcal, flu and tetanus vaccines. On the clinician side, a survey of 1,503 primary care professionals found two in three likely to recommend all routine vaccines to IBD patients — ranging from 74% for pneumococcal to 90% for herpes zoster — with uncertainty about vaccine guidelines cited as the main barrier.
Gaps remain, however. Some health-risk behaviours are more common among adults with IBD, notably insufficient sleep and falling short of physical-activity guidelines. Diet looks broadly similar to the wider population, though adults with IBD were more likely to report low fibre intake, and women with IBD reported more sugar-sweetened beverages and added sugar. Findings like these help clinicians see where extra support could do the most good.
Taken together, this growing body of CDC research highlights both the rising reach of IBD and the day-to-day challenges of living with it, from higher medical costs to a cluster of related conditions. For patients and providers alike, the data build a strong case for coordinated, prevention-minded care.
