Interesting. I don't agree with some of the "lifestyle" points in the article being listed as a cause for IBD--for instance, I've never smoked, always been fit and active, and ate healthy before getting UC--but it's still interesting to see that Canada and Europe have the highest rates in the world.

http://www.healthzone.ca/healt...y-bowel-disease?bn=1

Thanks for the article Spooky,
I have always said that many disease are diseases of 'prosperity'...meaning..everything that money can buy...refined foods, fast foods, red, hormone injected meats, sugars and rich milk products etc...Also all of those wonderful artificial flavours, colours, sweeteners etc...the poor, underdeveloped countries often eat a mono-regime of simple starches and vegetables with natural oils, all 'home grown' with very few chemical additives, that is why they are generally healthier ...up until very recently, most of Europe did not use hormones and genetically modified seeds for farming...now we do and our guts feel it (so do our allergies!)...
Not only is our prosperity contageous but our diseases too!
Sharon

I know mine had a major genetic component. My mom had UC at 38 which is the same age mine started. I never had any digestive issues prior.

gmarie,

I am wondering if as you approached the age of 38 you ever thought of the possibility of getting UC like your mother, at the same age? Or if you only made the connection after the fact?

In my case, there is no genetic component as nobody else in the family has IBD. Mine started at age 9, and was preceded by many virulent bouts with all the childhood diseases including mumps, measles, German measles, diptheria, and chicken pox, and then, in the summer of 1972, a bout with salmonella poisoning after eating undercooked chicken while visting relatives in Pennsylvania. That is when the problem started. What was strange was nobody else got sick from eating that chicken. It was just me. I was not officially diagnosed until early 1973 but spent the better part of late 1972 in hospitals. Thus I believe my trigger was childhood diseases/food poisoning/environmental triggers.

Spooky, Canada is a small country population wise so it may be hard to draw any solid conclusions especially since I do not think most Canadians eat a substantially different diet than do Americans. I have never been to Toronto, but have traveled to Quebec many times and they are eating more breads and cheeses than Americans are. This is an attribute of French Canadian culture. The supermarkets in Quebec have way more bread and cheese products than what I see in supermarkets in the USA, but I would not consider this to necessarily support a higher incidence of IBD in Canada. Most of the rest of Canada probably has a similar diet (or better) than what most Americans are eating.

The lack of sunlight in Canada compared to other countries closer to the equator is possibly a better hypothesis. Sunlight is our single greatest source of vitamin D.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: DJBHusky,

Husky,

When I was first diagnosed I remember telling my sister that I had UC. She said, "Mom has that I thnk." I never knew my mon had it till after I was diagnosed. I was out of high school and living in another state. I do think in genetically suseptible folks like me it got "triggered" by something. On a side note it is interesting that IBD is about 50/50 men/women and in most other autoimmune diseases the majority hit females.

Spooky,

I sent that article to a friend of mine who lives in Montreal, Canada, who has Crohn's Disease, and his response was to ask, how about the possibility that single payer medical system brings a higher percentage of their respective populations either to their family doctors or to medical clinics for those who don't have a family doctor? In both those cases intestinal problems might be referred by the seen GP to a gastro. The fact that we (Canada) don't concern ourselves (because of the single payer system) with whatever costs are incurred, brings along a higher % of a population seeking medical care in the 1st place. The article mentions both Canada and Europe and in both cases there are single payer systems in place.

I've seen other studies that have similar conclusions. In these other studies, though, the Canadian statistics are incomplete, as they are based on provincial statistics and not all provinces have the data which allow the statistics to be compiled. The article didn't indicate whether it had access to more data.

I've wondered whether climate plays a role. Canada is colder than the U.S., which might mean being exposed to fewer bugs as children, and possibly a less developed immune system. My understanding is that the European countries with higher rates of IBD are in northern Europe.

p.s. Sorry to be picky, but Canada is a medium-sized country. According to Wikipedia, Canada ranks 35th out of 242 countries in terms of population.

Just for comparison sake...Canada and France have the same population...Around 60 million all told with just about the same percentage of immigration to account for certain influences...We have a much lower IBD rate but are catching up quickly...There is a lot of Colon cancer here but they do not talk about UC at all, just crohns...not even sure that they recognise UC because they do not have a name for it in French as far as I know...we are about 50 years behind Canada in treatment for it too...Colon cancer? Cut it out and stick on a bag. IBD? Collectomy and stick on a bag. Crohns? Cut it out and put on a bag. I have never heard of an alternate treatment in the public health system. They don't talk about diet either...From what I have heard, Anglo-Saxon countries have a higher rate than Latin countries...all linked to diet.
Sharon

My daughter was diagnosed in Ottawa (Canada) at age three. She was born in London, UK. From birth, she ate an excellent diet (vegetarian, whole grains - this is debatable I know but it's certainly not the SAD, organic fruit and veg, organic dairy from local farms, markets, NO processed foods, all home cooked from scratch etc). So, It wasn't the Standard American Diet that caused it. After diagnosis I found some literature which shows that South Asian immigrants to the UK and Canada are at higher risk of developing IBD. They don't know why but vit D might be a factor. My daughter is half Indian and half Italian. Subsequently, I've noticed that a LOT of the children seen at hospital where she is seen are of South Asian decent. There's no research on why though.
Maybe the proportion of immigrants in Canada from a particular region has some part to play in the stats?