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Crohn's and Gender
- Thread starter kss
- Start date
theOcean
Moderator
- Location
- Toronto, ON, Canada
In my family: I'm female and my father is male. His father also had it. My aunt (maternal) has IBD but it's not confirmed as Crohn's/Colitis.
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nogutsnoglory
Moderator
Male here. It seems to me there are more females on the forum but like dusty said it seems to not discriminate between genders.
So the reason why I was asking is that I'm updating work I did a few years ago on Crohn's misdiagnosis. I pulled more data from a few sources and noticed that 75% of the respondents were female.
One thing I'm trying to do is figure out if one gender gets the same number of misdiagnosis and also if there's gender equality in the time to diagnosis. And then also if one gender suffers from a category of misdiagnosis more than the other.
I also sent an email to the founder of Crohnology and he said the gender breakdown on his site was about 75% female. It could be that females use social media more than men or a bunch of other possibilities... I also wonder if severity is the same among genders because that could explain a piece of the disparity.
From the data so far the Crohn's diagnosis experience appears to be significantly different among genders. I need to do more work before reporting anything.
One thing I'm trying to do is figure out if one gender gets the same number of misdiagnosis and also if there's gender equality in the time to diagnosis. And then also if one gender suffers from a category of misdiagnosis more than the other.
I also sent an email to the founder of Crohnology and he said the gender breakdown on his site was about 75% female. It could be that females use social media more than men or a bunch of other possibilities... I also wonder if severity is the same among genders because that could explain a piece of the disparity.
From the data so far the Crohn's diagnosis experience appears to be significantly different among genders. I need to do more work before reporting anything.
DustyKat
Super Moderator
I do think that females tend to network more when it comes to health related matters…
But I also think that when it comes to Crohn’s and misdiagnosis there are other factors that come into play when you are female. That being the female reproductive system and as the Crohn’s peak is in the 15-30 year old range the anorexic/psychological label is thrown around more than it should be.
But I also think that when it comes to Crohn’s and misdiagnosis there are other factors that come into play when you are female. That being the female reproductive system and as the Crohn’s peak is in the 15-30 year old range the anorexic/psychological label is thrown around more than it should be.
nogutsnoglory
Moderator
Having gone to support groups for ailments over the years I find the vast majority of attendees are female. I agree that females seem to be more comfy discussing these matters and I guess men are afraid it shows a sign of weakness.
theOcean
Moderator
- Location
- Toronto, ON, Canada
I was misdiagnosed originally as having Ulcerative Pancolitis... now it's been updated to fistulizing Crohn's, two years after that initial diagnosis. My GI still says I seem to have some symptoms overlap with UC though, so it's a bit strange. It's the same for my father.
I just took a look at those references and they don't site a study where researchers actually went and counted males and females with Crohn's. All three of those sources, as authoritative as they look, might just be copying from each other. It also looks like it's wrong info...
Here's a link to Inflammatory bowel disease prevalence by age, gender, race, and geographic location in the U.S. military health care population. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2013 Jun;19(7):1421-7. doi: 10.1097/MIB.0b013e318281334d
Here's what it says:
METHODS:
Using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes, patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) seen within the military health care system (Tricare) from October 1, 2008 to September 30, 2009 were identified. This database comprised all active duty military, retirees, and dependents. The overall prevalence of IBD, UC, and CD was calculated, and the prevalence by age, gender, race, and geographic location.
RESULTS:
A total of 35,404 cases of IBD were identified in 10.2 million military health care beneficiaries establishing a prevalence of total IBD, UC, and CD of 348, 202, and 146 per 100,000, respectively. IBD was more prevalent in females compared with males (417 versus 284 per 100,000; relative risk, 1.53; 95% confidence interval, 1.50-1.57). There was an increased prevalence of IBD with each decade of life....
Here's a link to Inflammatory bowel disease prevalence by age, gender, race, and geographic location in the U.S. military health care population. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2013 Jun;19(7):1421-7. doi: 10.1097/MIB.0b013e318281334d
Here's what it says:
METHODS:
Using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes, patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) seen within the military health care system (Tricare) from October 1, 2008 to September 30, 2009 were identified. This database comprised all active duty military, retirees, and dependents. The overall prevalence of IBD, UC, and CD was calculated, and the prevalence by age, gender, race, and geographic location.
RESULTS:
A total of 35,404 cases of IBD were identified in 10.2 million military health care beneficiaries establishing a prevalence of total IBD, UC, and CD of 348, 202, and 146 per 100,000, respectively. IBD was more prevalent in females compared with males (417 versus 284 per 100,000; relative risk, 1.53; 95% confidence interval, 1.50-1.57). There was an increased prevalence of IBD with each decade of life....
Other references to gender differences:
EPIDEMIOLOGY
Is There a Gender Difference in the Prevalence of Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis?
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ibd.20540/pdf
The epidemiology and natural history of Crohn's disease in population-based patient cohorts from North America: a systematic review
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2036.2002.01140.x/pdf
This is a good one too:
Recent Trends in the Prevalence of Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis in a Commercially Insured US Population
DOI 10.1007/s10620-012-2371-5
download.springer.com/static/pdf/925/art%253A10.1007%252Fs10620-012-2371-5.pdf?auth66=1407698479_56b80f14eb706f696e7a42274e7ebe00&ext=.pdf
EPIDEMIOLOGY
Is There a Gender Difference in the Prevalence of Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis?
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ibd.20540/pdf
The epidemiology and natural history of Crohn's disease in population-based patient cohorts from North America: a systematic review
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2036.2002.01140.x/pdf
This is a good one too:
Recent Trends in the Prevalence of Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis in a Commercially Insured US Population
DOI 10.1007/s10620-012-2371-5
download.springer.com/static/pdf/925/art%253A10.1007%252Fs10620-012-2371-5.pdf?auth66=1407698479_56b80f14eb706f696e7a42274e7ebe00&ext=.pdf
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- Location
- NDG, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
I was originally diagnosed with IBS and was told to treat with fibre, which I did. A few years later, I start having multiple issues with constipation so bad that I have to be hospitalized where I get the diagnosis of Crohn's.
I think women are generally online (in forums) more than men so that may be the reason for the pole results
So I know I took my time in finishing this off but it's well worth it. I'm happy with how it turned out as a research project. Crohn's Diagnosis Stories
It'd be great to get some feedback!
It'd be great to get some feedback!
DustyKat
Super Moderator
Well never was a truer statement made kss!
Thank you so much for posting the results and what a fab read. It was enlightening and fascinating but at the same time all too familiar and bittersweet.
One of the most baffling things to me is that even when people have what would be considered the more classic symptoms of IBD they still get overlooked. Little wonder that those with an atypical presentation are pissing into the wind big time when it comes to getting a diagnosis.
I also find this observation interesting. There seems to be far too much of this with IBD.
I will be the first to admit that this is not an easy disease to diagnosis but that said, in far too many cases there appears to a very ad hoc approach by the medical profession followed by a shrug of the shoulder and off you go! My daughter had a grossly normal CT scan one week prior to emergency surgery with what turned out to be a ruptured and infarcted bowel. Her bowel was in tatters according to the surgeon. Now clearly, when Crohn’s was the cause of this, damage that extensive certainly did not occur in a week. How do you miss something that extensive?? *shrug*
Thanks again for all your hard work kss.
Oh, you're welcome. Thanks for reading it! (I don't have much of an audience.)
There's so much that's unexplored. I was a little overwhelmed writing it all out. I'll try and write out a more formal survey. Something that allows people flexibility in answering the questions.
One thing I found really shocking was the lack of academic literature covering diagnostic error. There's almost nothing there at all.
There's so much that's unexplored. I was a little overwhelmed writing it all out. I'll try and write out a more formal survey. Something that allows people flexibility in answering the questions.
One thing I found really shocking was the lack of academic literature covering diagnostic error. There's almost nothing there at all.
I thought it annoyed us all equally