Short Bowel Syndrome Epidemiology Forecast

Key Highlights

• Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is a complex condition caused by loss or dysfunction of parts of the small or large intestine, leading to poor absorption of nutrients, fluids, and electrolytes. Symptoms vary but often include severe diarrhea, dehydration, malnutrition, and weight loss. While there is no cure, SBS can usually be managed, though severe cases may be life-threatening.
• In adults, SBS is typically defined as having less than 180–200 cm of remaining small intestine, often requiring nutritional support. Most cases result from major bowel resection. Normally, the small intestine absorbs most nutrients and fluids, but in SBS this capacity is significantly reduced. Survival depends largely on age and underlying disease, with about two-thirds of patients surviving the first year.
• SBS is more common in adults due to chronic diseases, while children experience higher incidence due to neonatal conditions.
• The prevalence of home parenteral nutrition for SBS is generally higher in the US than in Europe. 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 home parenteral nutrition 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.
• 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.

Short bowel syndrome (SBS) Epidemiology forecast of the 7MM

• 2025 Prevalent Cases of SBS: ~14,700
• 2036 Prevalent Cases of SBS: ~19,000
• SBS Growth Rate (2026–2036): 2.3% CAGR

DelveInsight's ‘Short bowel syndrome (SBS) – Epidemiology Forecast – 2036’ report delivers an in-depth understanding of the SBS, historical and forecasted epidemiology, in the United States, EU4 (Germany, Spain, Italy, and France), the United Kingdom, and Japan.

Short bowel syndrome (SBS) Understanding

SBS Overview and Diagnosis

Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is a complex condition caused by the loss or dysfunction of portions of the small and/or large intestine, resulting in reduced absorption of nutrients, fluids, and electrolytes. It commonly presents with severe diarrhea, dehydration, malnutrition, and weight loss, and in some cases may become life-threatening, although it can often be managed despite having no cure. In adults, the normal small bowel length ranges from 275–850 cm, and SBS is typically defined as having less than 180–200 cm of remaining small intestine, often necessitating nutritional support. Most cases arise from major bowel resection, and prognosis largely depends on age and underlying disease, with around two-thirds of patients surviving the first year.

Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is diagnosed through medical history, physical examination, and tests such as blood work, fecal fat analysis, and imaging, with additional procedures like endoscopy or liver biopsy to assess complications, while treatment is individualized and focuses on maintaining nutrition, promoting intestinal adaptation, and managing complications using total parenteral nutrition (TPN), enteral feeding, dietary modifications, medications, and, in severe cases, surgery or intestinal transplantation.

Further details are provided in the report.

Short bowel syndrome (SBS) Epidemiology

Key Findings from SBS Epidemiological Analysis and Forecast

• US is recognized for having one of the world’s most advanced HPN programs, which plays a crucial role in supporting long-term survival for patients with chronic intestinal failure. In 2025, among the 7MM, the US had the highest number of diagnosed prevalent cases of SBS. According to DelveInsight estimates, there were 14,500 diagnosed prevalent cases of SBS in the US in 2025, which are projected to increase by 2036.
• SBS is more commonly diagnosed in women than men, with over 60% of cases occurring in females, compared to more than 30% in males in the US. Gender-specific diagnosed prevalence is expected to increase for both groups during the forecast period.
• SBS prevalence is higher in adults due to chronic conditions like Crohn’s disease and mesenteric ischemia. In contrast, pediatric SBS incidence is higher because it often results from acute congenital or neonatal conditions such as necrotizing enterocolitis and intestinal malformations, which occur more frequently early in life.
• In the US, adults now represent the largest share (~85%) of diagnosed prevalent SBS cases, a shift driven by rising surgical volumes, an aging population, and improved post-surgical survival over the past two decades. Pediatric SBS survivors transitioning into adulthood further expand the chronic adult SBS population, adding to prevalence beyond new adult-onset cases.

Scope of the Report

• The report covers a segment of a descriptive overview of SBS, explaining their causes, signs and symptoms, and pathogenesis.
• Comprehensive insight has been provided into the epidemiology forecasts, the future growth potential of the diagnosis rate, and disease progression.

Report Insights

• Short bowel syndrome (SBS) Patient population forecast

Report Key Strengths

• Epidemiology-based (Epi-based) Bottom-up forecasting
• 11-year forecast
• Patient Burden trends (by geography)

FAQs

• What are the disease risks, burdens, and unmet needs of SBS? What will be the growth opportunities across the 7MM concerning the patient population with SBS?
• What is the historical and forecasted SBS patient pool in the US, EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain), the UK, and Japan?

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.