Affliction

Although Crohn’s disease can occur at any age, it tends to surface in the teens and into the twenties; another peak appearance occurs in the fifties through the seventies. Both men and women are affected equally by the disease, but individuals with siblings bearing the disease are at a higher risk due to a reported genetic link.

There’s a higher incidence of Crohn’s disease in western industrialized nations, indicating an environmental component. In North America, roughly 400,000 to 600,000 are afflicted with the disease.

Lastly, smokers are twice as likely to develop the condition as nonsmokers.