Observational Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. May 14, 2025; 31(18): 105472
Published online May 14, 2025. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i18.105472
Current and forecasted 10-year prevalence and incidence of inflammatory bowel disease in Hong Kong, Japan, and the United States
Yin Zhang, Hsingwen Chung, Qi-Wen Fang, You-Ran Xu, Yong-Jing Zhang, Ko Nakajo, Ian Chi-Kei Wong, Wai-Keung Leung, Hong Qiu, Xue Li
Yin Zhang, Wai-Keung Leung, Xue Li, Department of Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Yin Zhang, Qi-Wen Fang, Ian Chi-Kei Wong, Xue Li, Centre for Safe Medication Practice and Research, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Hsingwen Chung, Hong Qiu, Global Epidemiology, Janssen Research and Development, LLC, Titusville, NJ 08560, United States
You-Ran Xu, Yong-Jing Zhang, Global Epidemiology, Janssen Research and Development, LLC, Shanghai 200233, China
Ko Nakajo, Global Epidemiology, Janssen Research and Development, LLC, Tokyo 103-0014, Japan
Ian Chi-Kei Wong, Advanced Data Analytics for Medical Science Limited, Hong Kong 999077, China
Ian Chi-Kei Wong, Aston Pharmacy School, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, United Kingdom
Xue Li, Laboratory of Data Discovery for Health, Hong Kong Science Park, Hong Kong 999077, China
Co-first authors: Yin Zhang and Hsingwen Chung.
Co-corresponding authors: Hong Qiu and Xue Li.
Author contributions: Li X and Qiu H designed and supervised the study; Wong ICK provided administrative and technical support for data access and clinical advice on results interpretation; Zhang Y and Chung H acquired the data; Zhang Y, Chung H, and Fang QW analyzed the data and performed cross-checking; Zhang Y and Li X drafted the manuscript; Leung WK provided clinical input and advice; Li X acquired the funding; Zhang Y, Chung H, Fang QW, Xu YR, Zhang YJ, Nakajo K, Wong ICH, Leung WK, Qiu H, Li X contributed equally to the interpretation of the results, and critically revised the manuscript for significant intellectual contribution.
Supported by the Research Grant Council, Research Impact Fund, No. R7007-22.
Institutional review board statement: Analysis of clinical data analysis and reporting system from Hong Kong was approved by the Institutional Review Board of The University of Hong Kong/Hospital Authority Hong Kong West Cluster (No. UW22-280). Data from the Japan Medical Data Centre and Merative™ MarketScan® database (Merative) were de-identified and are fully compliant with relevant patient confidentiality requirements, including the Japanese Personal Information Protection Law and the United States Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. Ethical approval are not required for Japan Medical Data Centre and Merative.
Informed consent statement: Informed consent from patients was waived because the study was retrospective and all patient data were fully de-identified.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Li X received research grants from the Research Fund Secretariat of the Health Bureau, Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF, HKSAR), Health and Medical Research Fund Fellowship Scheme (HMRF Fellowship, HKSAR), Research Grants Council Early Career Scheme (RGC/ECS, HKSAR), commission grants from Hospital Authority of Hong Kong; educational and investigator initiate research fund from Janssen and Pfizer; internal funding from the University of Hong Kong; and consultancy fee from Pfizer, Merck Sharp and Dohme, Open Health. She was also the former non-executive director of ADAMS Limited Hong Kong, all outside the submitted work. ICKW reports grants from Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pfizer, Janssen, Bayer, GSK and Novartis, the Hong Kong RGC, and the Hong Kong Health and Medical Research Fund in Hong Kong, National Institute for Health Research in England, European Commission, National Health and Medical Research Council in Australia, consulting fees from IQVIA and World Health Organization, payment for expert testimony for Appeal Court of Hong Kong and is a non-executive director of Jacobson Medical in Hong Kong and Therakind in England, outside of the submitted work. There are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work. Leung WK has received speaker’s honoraria from AbbVie, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, and Janssen. Chung H, Xu YR, Zhang YJ, Nakajo K and Qiu H are employees of Janssen Research and Development, LLC at the time of the study. Qiu H holds stock in Johnson and Johnson Pty Ltd. All other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement—a checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-a checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: Local academic institutions, government departments, or non-governmental organizations may apply for access to clinical data analysis and reporting system data through the Hospital Authority’s data sharing portal (https://www3.ha.org.hk/data). The data from Japan Medical Data Centre (JMDC) and Merative underlying this article were provided by the JMDC and Merative under license. Data from JMDC and Merative will be shared on request to the corresponding authors with permission of JMDC and/or Merative.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Xue Li, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, PB306, Professorial Block, Queen Mary Hospital, No. 102 Pok Fu Lam Road, Hong Kong 999077, China. sxueli@hku.hk
Received: January 24, 2025
Revised: March 18, 2025
Accepted: April 16, 2025
Published online: May 14, 2025
Processing time: 109 Days and 3.6 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: The global rise in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has escalated the disease burden and economic impact, with notable differences between Asian and Western populations. Over the next decade, IBD prevalence is estimated to increase in Hong Kong, Japan, and the United States, with varying estimates of incidence, and forecasts by disease subtype, sex, and age group are expected to show distinct patterns across different regions. The study shows the rising burden and distinct patterns these regions are experiencing, thus healthcare systems are advised to develop targeted healthcare strategies to manage the escalating challenges.