WORLD GASTROENTEROLOGY NEWS Official e-newsletter of the World Gastroenterology Organisation VOL. 20, ISSUE 1 APRIL 2015 In this issue www.worldgastroenterology.org Message from the Editors of e-WGN J. Enrique Domínguez-Muñoz, MD Director of the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology University Hospital of Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela, Spain Ever since the first descriptions of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) many years ago ulcerative colitis (UC) was first described in 1859 by Sir Samuel Wilks and Crohn’s disease (CD) in 1932 by Crohn, Ginzburg, and Oppenheimer; these diseases have continued to mystify us. The pathophysiology is complex and not completely defined but does appear to include genetics and environmental factors. Originally seen predominantly in Caucasian people in developed countries, we are now seeing more cases in people of other races and ethnicities and in developing countries as well. In this issue of the newsletter we have two excellent articles that address the changing epidemiology of IBD. In the article by Dr. Barreirode Acosta and one of us (J. Enrique Domínguez-Muñoz), a population of 242 patients with IBD in northwestern Spain was studied. People who migrated from Spain to more industrialized countries in Western Europe had a higher rate of IBD and those who migrated to similar or less industrialized countries did not have a higher rate of IBD. They also found that the risk of UC was higher than CD. These fascinating observations are complemented by Dr. Afzali’s excellent review of changes in IBD relating to ethnicity and racial differences in the USA. While rates of IBD are still highest in Caucasians, rates are increasing in Hispanics, African Americans, and Asians, with some differences in disease location and severity. Taken together these papers support a causal relationship for the development of IBD with genetic factors as well as for environmental and other factors related to socioeconomic status and an industrialized society. They provide clues to pathogenesis, and are relevant to clinicians caring for these patients. There are other highlights in this issue. Dr. David Armstrong outlines the importance of World Digestive Health Day (WDHD) this year focusing on “Heartburn: A Global Perspective.” While the official date of WDHD is May 29th many Migratory Movements and the Risk of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Manuel Barreiro-de Acosta, MD, PhD J. Enrique Domínguez-Muñoz, MD The Impact of Racial and Ethnic Differences in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Phenotype in the United States Anita Afzali, MD, MPH Easier to Digest James Toouli, MD, MBBS, PhD, FRACS Christina M. Surawicz, MD, MACG Professor of Medicine Division of Gastroenterology Department of Medicine University of Washington School of Medicine Seattle, USA
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