IBD in the elderly - beware of pitfalls!

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), Crohn’s disease (CD), and ulcerative colitis (UC) typically affect people between the ages of 15 and 30, but there is a second smaller peak in the elderly, referred to as elderly‐onset IBD.[1] Typically, patients diagnosed over the age of 60 are referred to as elderly‐onset IBD patients. Recent studies have reported a marked increase in IBD incidence in the elderly.[2] The reasons for this are unclear but likely to include a combination of improved diagnosis, increased life expectancy, and, finally, a more pronounced effect of environmental factors on the risk of IBD in the elderly. For instance, the magnitude of risk for IBD with antibiotic exposure is higher with increasing age.[3]