Landscape of inflammatory bowel disease in Singapore

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), primarily Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, had been widely recognized to affect the Western population. However, the notable rise in prevalence of IBD in Asia, including Singapore, had garnered much attention to the causal role of the shift in trend, and more importantly, effective and safe management of the conditions of these groups of patients in terms of therapy, healthcare economics as well as patient well-being. This review presents a summary of the current landscape of IBD in Singapore, and discuss on areas that can be explored to improve and better understand the local condition, as prevalence continues to grow.