Challenges in the management of inflammatory bowel disease in sub-Saharan Africa.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is generally considered a disease of high-income countries and is regarded as rare in sub-Saharan Africa. However, this assumption is almost certainly an underestimate, and the high burden of communicable diseases makes IBD in sub-Saharan Africa difficult to detect. Furthermore, some gastrointestinal infections can closely mimic IBD, contributing to delays in diagnosis and complicating therapeutic decision making.

Inflammatory bowel disease in sub-Saharan Africa: epidemiology, risk factors, and challenges in diagnosis.

Over the past century, the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in high-income countries has shown a sharp rise that then plateaued, and a similar trend has been observed in newly industrialised countries. IBD has long been considered uncommon in sub-Saharan Africa, possibly reflecting low exposure to environmental risk factors described in high-income populations. Alternatively, individuals living in sub-Saharan Africa might have a different genetic disposition.

Inflammatory bowel disease in sub-Saharan Africa: a protocol of a prospective registry with a nested case-control study.

Introduction: The epidemiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in sub-Saharan Africa is poorly documented. We have started a registry to determine the burden, phenotype, risk factors, disease course and outcomes of IBD in Zimbabwe.

Methods And Analysis: A prospective observational registry with a nested case-control study has been established at a tertiary hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe.