Inflammatory Bowel Disease Risk Factors
The commonest risk factors for developing Inflammatory Bowel Disease of any kind include:
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- Smoking: smoking increases the risk of inflammation in the digestive tract. It affects the body’s immune system significantly, and in patients of IBD, it worsens the pain and other symptoms of the disease.
- Family history: there’s a high suspicion that this disease has a significant genetic link. People who have the disease usually have a close relation (parents, siblings) that has the disease as well.
- Age: most cases of IBD start before the patient turns 35.
- Race: Caucasians have been found to have a higher risk of developing IBD.
- Gender: Crohn’s disease occurs commonly among women, while ulcerative colitis is more common among men.