For people with Crohn's disease, symptoms like abdominal pain, cramping, and urgency to use the restroom get in the way of everyday life. Though the condition affects as many as 780,000 people in the U.S., not everyone knows about or understands the severity of the condition.
Whether you're living with Crohn's disease or know someone who does, these statistics on risk factors and how symptoms impact quality of life can deepen your understanding of the disease.
- Children are twice as likely to be diagnosed with Crohn's as ulcerative colitis
- 22.5% of people with Crohn's experience their first symptom before they turn 15.
- Active smokers are almost twice as likely as nonsmokers to develop Crohn's disease
- Crohn's is usually diagnosed in young adults between the ages of 15 and 35
- 20% of people with Crohn's have a blood relative who has IBD
- Approximately 780,000 people in the United States has Crohn's disease
- 78% of patients say that Crohn’s disease at least sometimes impacts their ability to work.
- Those with Crohn’s disease often experience complications. In one survey, 85% of respondents experienced complications, including arthritis/swollen joints (60%), malnutrition/nutritional difficulties (37%), and anemia (36%)
- Finding the right Crohn’s disease treatment can be challenging. In a survey, more than half of respondents have been on their current treatment plan less than two years and about 70% may be changing in the next year.
- 60% of Crohn’s disease patients would be interested in participating in a clinical trial, according to a Health Union survey.
