Projects & Partners

CDC’s Work

We work to understand the epidemiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to effectively target interventions and inform best clinical practices by

• Gathering national prevalence and incidence data.
• Supporting population-based studies to describe the incidence, prevalence, demographic, and clinical characteristics of people with IBD, and to assess the impact of the disease and various clinical practices in managing IBD.
• Adapting and expanding current studies to capture socio-economic, racial, and geographic differences among the population.

Studying the Epidemiology

We fund the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation to conduct research that addresses important questions about the epidemiology and effective outcomes related to IBD, including quality of life and work productivity. Epidemiologic studies are also focused on identifying psychosocial, economic, demographic, clinical, and biological elements associated with disparate outcomes in IBD. This involves identifying variations in the use of medical therapies that affect outcomes, determining factors including patient and provider characteristics contributing to variation in the use of medical therapies such as steroids, and developing and disseminating interventions to improve disease outcomes.

CDC also supports the Ocean State Crohn’s and Colitis Registry (OSCCAR) in Rhode Island, linking OSCCAR enrollees to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation Partners in IBD Research registry, and  communicating important information back to patients affected by the disease and their providers to improve outcomes. The registry link will also help to expand and enhance descriptions of the disease and outcomes.

CDC first began addressing Inflammatory Bowel Disease in 2005. Three cooperative agreements have since been awarded to address gaps in epidemiologic data and information about treatment for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.