Familial and ethnic risk in inflammatory bowel disease

Maria Pia Costa Santos, Catarina Gomes, Joana Torres*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

90 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Familial aggregation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been established for several decades, reflecting shared genetic and environmental susceptibility. A positive family history remains the strongest recognizable risk factor for the development of IBD and is reported in around 8-12% of IBD patients. Crohn’s disease shows a more frequent familial pattern than ulcerative colitis. The risk of developing IBD in first-degree relatives of an affected proband is increased 4- to 8-fold. The risk for twins and children born from couples who both have IBD is also substantially higher; a cumulative effect of the number of family members affected has been described, with the highest incidence being described for families with three or more affected members. Herein, we review the available evidence regarding familial IBD, and briefly discuss the variation of IBD across different races and ethnicities, hoping to provide a useful update and a practical guide that can serve clinicians as a guide for counseling.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)14-23
Number of pages10
JournalAnnals of Gastroenterology
Volume31
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Counseling
  • Ethnic risk
  • Familial risk
  • First-degree relatives
  • Inflammatory bowel disease
  • Phenotype

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