|  | Conditions Treatments | Digestive Health

Is Gender Affected by Crohn's Disease?

Crohn's disease is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in the digestive tract of the effected patient. According to the American Journal of Gastroenterology, "there seems to be a predilection for Crohn's disease in women" but additional studies have shown that age, in addition to gender, may play a factor in this assessment.

  1. Gender and Age Correlation

    • While Crohn's disease is more prominent in women, in a study published by the American Journal of Gastroenterology, researchers determined that there is a correlation between the age of a patient, gender and onset of Crohn's disease symptoms.

    Adults

    • In a study published in the medical journal, Gastroenterology, researchers determined that Crohn's disease is more prominent in adult female patients. Eventually, a diagnosis of Crohn's disease in males becomes more common than females. This typically occurs in males over the age of forty. At this point, the diagnosis of Crohn's disease in females begins to decline.

    Children

    • In the same study published in Gastroenterology, researchers studied if gender affected those who were diagnosed with Crohn's disease under the age of 17. This study established that males are more likely to be diagnosed with Crohn's disease prior to the age of 15. The researchers of this study determined that hormonal factors may have lead to the occurrence of Crohn's disease in males.

    Overall Diagnosis of Crohn's

    • While women are more likely to be diagnosed with Crohn's disease, men and women are diagnosed on average at the same age with Crohn's disease. Men are on average diagnosed around the age of 30.7 years old and women are diagnosed around the age of 28.8 years old.

    Crohn's Symptoms and Gender

    • According to the study in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, females are more likely to have to undergo abdominal surgery and bowel resections compared to men. Also, female patients are found to have more first or second degree relatives affected by Crohn's disease than male patients.

Digestive Health - Related Articles