"Inflammatory Bowel Disease Raises Risk Of Acute Arterial Events" - Marilynn Larkin
Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at increased risk of ischemic heart, cardiovascular and peripheral artery disease events, with the highest risk in those under age 55, researchers say. Researchers analyzed French hospital discharge data from 2008 to 2013 on IBD patients over age 15. About 98,000 had Crohn’s disease and about 112,000 had ulcerative colitis. Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis patients both had a statistically significant overall increased risk of acute arterial events. Crohn’s patients age 15 to 54 were at highest risk. Louis Cohen, MD, assistant professor of medicine and gastroenterology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said, “It has long been established that patients with IBD are at an increased risk of venous thrombotic disease, but the effect on arterial thrombosis has been somewhat inconclusive. This is a well-designed study, the results of which should be taken seriously by the IBD community, though as with all database studies, it must be interpreted cautiously due to a reliance on ICD coding, which is notoriously flawed.” The study brings up important questions for patients with IBD and physicians who treat them, Dr. Cohen added.
- Louis Cohen, MD, Assistant Professor, Medicine, Gastroenterology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai