Bengaluru sees more child inflammatory bowel disease cases amid processed diets, changing urban lifestyles

New Delhi: More children in Bengaluru are being diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), with specialists reporting a steady increase in cases over the past decade. A report by The New Indian Express said doctors believe the rise reflects both increasing disease incidence and improved detection as awareness and access to specialised treatment have grown.

Smiles Institute of Gastroenterology has recorded a 12 per cent increase in childhood IBD cases in the past six months. Over the last five years, 886 children have been diagnosed with the condition at the institute.

Dr CM Parameshwara, founder and CEO, said modern dietary habits could be playing a role. Greater intake of ultra-processed foods, sugary beverages and packaged snacks, coupled with less physical activity and changes in the gut microbiome, may be contributing to the trend.

The increase is not limited to older children. Dr Lavenya RP, consultant, pediatric gastroenterology and hepatology, Rainbow Children’s Hospital, said paediatric IBD has risen significantly in India over the past two decades, with doctors also diagnosing very-early-onset IBD in children below six.

Urbanisation, pollution, lifestyle changes and passive smoking may add to the risk among older children, she said, while better diagnostic facilities have also helped identify more cases.

Dr Shivakumar Sambargi, Head of Department and Senior Consultant, Paediatrics and Neonatology, Sakra World Hospital, said he has noticed more childhood IBD cases, especially among urban children, over the past five to 10 years. He sees around three to four suspected cases each week.

Doctors advised parents to take persistent abdominal pain, unexplained diarrhoea, blood in stools, poor growth, weight loss and reduced appetite seriously rather than treating them as ordinary stomach infections. About 25 per cent of IBD patients develop the disease before 18, with cases also occurring in infants and very young children.

Doctors welcomed Karnataka government measures restricting junk food sales and promotion around schools and encouraging healthier diets and physical activity.