Incidence of idiopathic ulcerative colitis in Jewish population subgroups in the Beer Sheva region of Israel.

The epidemiology and clinical features of idiopathic ulcerative colitis in different Jewish population groups in the Beer Sheva district of Israel were studied retrospectively over the period 1961-85. The average annual age-adjusted incidence rate increased (p less than 0.05) in all population groups during this period. The incidence rate in the total population in 1981-85 was 5.8 per 10(5) population per yr. In European and American born subjects the incidence rate was twice as high as in Asian and African born and Israeli born subjects. The mean age of onset of ulcerative colitis was significantly lower in Israeli born persons (26.8 yr) than in the other population groups; when the total population was stratified by age, this difference was shown to be caused by the relative youthfulness of the Israeli born subpopulation. Despite these striking epidemiological differences, clinical features were similar in the three population groups.