Inflammatory bowel disease in the context of environmental risks: a review

Chronic non-communicable diseases are the leading pathologies of the 21st century. Prevention and risk verification of chronic non-communicable diseases are among the most urgent tasks for contemporary healthcare. Inflammatory bowel diseases, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, are characterized by a chronic and recurrent course. Inflammatory bowel diseases of unknown etiology are considered to multifactorial, affecting both psychological and social well-being, and significantly reducing patients’ quality of life. This review aims to explore environmental risks in the development of inflammatory bowel disease, based on the literature. The review was conducted on the materials of Russian and foreign scientometric, abstract, and full-text databases. The period of publications included in the analysis spanned from 1980 to 2023. A total of 44 publications were analyzed. Current medical practice acknowledges the association of risk factors and the development of multicausal diseases. The probability of disease occurrence is determined by the impact of certain risk factors, with social factors being of particular importance. A combination of factors, including an improved socioeconomic status of newly industrialized countries, which trigger environmental dynamics, increases the risk of inflammatory bowel diseases. The impact of environmental risks may be a potential missing link in understanding the etiology and increasing prevalence of inflammatory bowel diseases in recent years. Investigating the relationship between environmental factors and inflammatory bowel diseases may improve understanding of the etiopathogenesis, identify strategies for disease prognosis and prevention, and prepare the healthcare system for the growing burden of this group of chronic non-communicable diseases.