Crohn's disease in Italy: A critical review of the literature using different data sources

Background: Incidence and prevalence of Crohn's disease (CD) have increased during the last decades in several world areas. Italian data on CD are scattered between various administrative, educational and scientific sources, and findings are poorly summarized.

Aims: We conducted a review focusing not only on prevalence and incidence of CD in Italy, but also on mortality, treatments, delayed diagnosis and hospitalization.

Methods: In October 2015, we searched for quantitative epidemiological data of CD using PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. We also conducted searches on selected web resources for databases and educational publications.

Results: Sixteen studies reporting data on incidence of CD from Italy were found. Incidence rates of CD in the early 2010's in Italy were 3.5-4 cases per 100,000 inhabitants per year. Ten investigations provided data on CD prevalence, with large variability between Italian areas. Most studies considering data at two or more time points or across consecutive time periods reported increasing incidence or prevalence of CD.

Conclusion: This review of Italian epidemiological data indicates that CD incidence and prevalence are continuing to (moderately) increase. Diagnostic delay, treatments, hospitalization and surgery for CD in Italy were also reviewed and quantified, though information is somewhat limited.