Inflammatory bowel disease affects around 1.4 million Americans, of which 600,000 have Crohn’s disease. The exact reason for developing Crohn’s disease is unclear, but researchers think it is a combination of being genetically predisposed to the disease and it being environmentally triggered.

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Here are some more interesting facts and statistics about Crohn’s disease according to healthline.com and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America.

• It’s estimated that between 5 percent and 20 percent of Crohn’s sufferers have a first-degree relative who also has the disease.
• Inflammatory bowel disease is usually diagnosed in young people between the ages of 15 and 30.
• Boys are more likely to develop IBD than girls, although Crohn’s disease affects males and females equally.
• People living at higher latitudes are more likely to have Crohn’s disease than those who live at lower latitudes.
• With appropriate treatment, around 50 percent of Crohn’s patients will have only mild disease symptoms or be in remission after five years.
• More than 187,000 hospital admissions were reported due to Crohn’s disease in 2010.
• The cost of treating a Crohn’s patients for a year is an average of $8,265.
• Eleven percent of Crohn’s patients will experience severe disease activity.
• Smoking doubles your risk of developing Crohn’s disease.
• Caucasians and Ashkenazi Jews are more prone to the disease.

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