Short Bowel Syndrome - Epidemiology Forecast - 2034

Key Highlights

The prevalence of home parenteral nutrition (HPN) for SBS is generally higher in the US than in Europe. The US data often report annual prevalence rates, whereas European studies present point prevalence. This discrepancy partly reflects differences in reporting methods and the broader availability of HPN in the US, which encourages earlier transitions to home care for cost-saving reasons.

SBS is more common in adults due to higher rates of surgical resections from conditions like Crohn’s disease and cancer, coupled with longer survival, whereas pediatric SBS is rarer and mainly linked to congenital issues or necrotizing enterocolitis.

Several conditions requiring intestinal resection may lead to SBS. To date, resurgery performed for complications following a previous abdominal operation is one of the leading causes of SBS in adults and accounts for up to 50% of patients.

The mean age of the patients is early 50s, women are affected slightly more often than men, and the majority of patients have a jejunocolic anastomosis.

Limited data exist on SBS incidence, with current literature offering few estimates; existing studies highlight significant gaps and limitations in understanding the disease’s epidemiology.

DelveInsight’s “Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS) – Epidemiology Forecast – 2034” report delivers an in-depth understanding of SBS, historical and forecasted epidemiology in the United States, EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain), the United Kingdom, and Japan.

Geography Covered

The United States

EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain) and the United Kingdom

Japan

Study Period: 2020–2034

Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS) Understanding

Short Bowel Syndrome Overview

Short bowel syndrome is a complex disease that occurs due to the physical loss or the loss of function of a portion of the small and/or large intestine. Consequently, individuals with short bowel syndrome often have a reduced ability to absorb nutrients such as fats, carbohydrates (sugars) vitamins, minerals, trace elements and fluids (malabsorption). The specific symptoms and severity of short bowel syndrome vary from one person to another. Diarrhea is common, often severe and can cause dehydration, which can even be life threatening. Short bowel syndrome can lead to malnutrition, unintended weight loss and additional symptoms may be due to the loss of essential vitamins and minerals. There is no cure, but the disorder usually can be treated effectively. However, in some cases, short bowel syndrome can lead to severe, disabling and life-threatening complications.

Short Bowel Syndrome Diagnosis

A diagnosis of short bowel syndrome is made based upon a detailed patient history, a thorough clinical evaluation and a variety of specialized tests including laboratory tests and X-ray studies.

A health care provider diagnoses short bowel syndrome based on a medical and family history, a physical exam, and blood tests such as CBC, albumin, creatinine tests, and others. Fecal fat tests is also performed, which can show how well the small intestine is working. Imaging techniques may be used to assess individuals with short bowel syndrome. Such tests include plain abdominal X-rays to detect signs of obstruction or ileus (paralysis of intestinal muscles), computerized tomography scanning of the abdomen (abdominal CAT scan), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the abdomen or an abdominal ultrasound. Upper GI series, also called a barium swallow, uses X-rays and fluoroscopy to help diagnose problems of the upper GI tract.

Further details related to country-based variations in diagnosis are provided in the report…

Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS) Epidemiology

The short bowel syndrome epidemiology chapter in the report provides historical as well as forecasted epidemiology segmented by prevalence of home parenteral nutrition (HPN) use, diagnosed prevalent cases of short bowel syndrome, age-specific cases of short bowel syndrome, gender-specific cases of short bowel syndrome, etiology-specific cases of short bowel syndrome in the 7MM covering the United States, EU4 countries (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain), United Kingdom, and Japan from 2020 to 2034.

In 2024, the US accounted for the highest number of prevalent SBS cases in the 7MM, with approximately 14,000 cases, followed by the EU4 and the UK. Surgical complications, in particular, continue to be a leading contributor to the prevalence of SBS in the country.

Short bowel syndrome is more common in females as compared to males. In the United States, more than 67% of short bowel syndrome patients were females. Anatomical differences are a key factor; women typically start with a shorter baseline length of the small intestine than men, so extensive resections leave them at greater risk for developing SBS after bowel surgery.

In the United States, around 29% and ~24% short bowel syndrome cases were caused by surgical complications and mesenteric infarction, respectively, in 2024. SBS primarily arises from surgical complications, mesenteric ischemia, Crohn’s disease, neoplasms, and radiation enteritis, with surgical complications and ileus representing the largest share of cases.

In EU4 and the UK, Germany accounted for the highest prevalent cases of short bowel syndrome, while Spain accounted for the least prevalent cases in 2024.

Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS) Report Insights

Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS) Report Insights

Patient population

Country-wise epidemiology distribution

Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS) report key strengths

Ten-year forecast

7MM coverage

Short bowel syndrome epidemiology segmentation

FAQs

What are the disease risk and burdens and of short bowel syndrome? What will be the growth opportunities across the 7MM with respect to the patient population pertaining to short bowel syndrome?

What is the historical and forecasted short bowel syndrome patient pool in the United States, EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain), the United Kingdom, and Japan?

Which age group is the largest contributor in patients affected with short bowel syndrome?

What factors affect the increase in the patient number in later lines of short bowel syndrome therapy?

Reasons to Buy

Insights on patient burden/disease prevalence, evolution in diagnosis, and factors contributing to the change in the epidemiology of the disease during the forecast years.

To understand key opinion leaders’ perspectives around the diagnostic challenges to overcome barriers in the future.

Detailed insights on various factors hampering disease diagnosis and other existing diagnostic challenges. Show more