Non‐specific Ulcerative Colitis in Chinese and Indians in Singapore

Ten patients (five Chinese and five Indians) with non-specific ulcerative colitis are reported from Singapore. This is probably the first report of this disease In Chinese. The incidence in Chinese was markedly lower than that in people from western countries, showing that non-specific ulcerative colitis is very rare among Chinese. Although the incidence in Indians was also much lower than that in people from western countries, it was appreciably higher than that of Chinese. These differences are probably due to racial and genetic factors. Also, the rarity of this disease in the Chinese and Indians, who are exposed to the stresses and strains of urban living in Singapore, suggests that psychological factors may not be very important in the causation of the disease.