Skip to main content

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Increases Risk for Later Arrhythmias

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Nov 6, 2023.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Nov. 6, 2023 -- Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) overall, as well as Crohn disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) individually, have an increased risk for developing later arrhythmias, according to a study published online Oct. 19 in PLOS Medicine.

Jiangwei Sun, Ph.D., from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, and colleagues explored the long-term risk for arrhythmias in patients with IBD. The analysis included a nationwide histopathology cohort with biopsy-confirmed IBD in Sweden from 1969 to 2017 (CD, 24,954 patients; UC, 46,856 patients; and IBD-unclassified [IBD-U], 12,067 patients), plus matched controls and IBD-free full siblings.

The researchers found that during a median follow-up of approximately 10 years, 7.6 percent of patients with CD, 8.9 percent of patients with UC, and 8.2 percent of patients with IBD-U developed arrhythmias versus 6.7, 7.5, and 6.0 percent in reference individuals, respectively. Compared with reference individuals, overall arrhythmias were significantly increased in patients with CD (54.6 versus 46.1 per 10,000 person-years), with similar findings for patients with UC (64.7 versus 53.3 per 10,000 person-years) and patients with IBD-U (78.1 versus 53.5 per 10,000 person-years). Even 25 years after diagnosis, the increased risk persisted, corresponding to one extra arrhythmia case per 80 CD, 58 UC, and 29 IBD-U cases during the same period. Sibling comparison analyses showed similar findings.

"For those patients [with IBD], a risk assessment of modifiable and established cardiovascular disease risk factors could be considered," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to industry.

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Risk for Most Cardiovascular Diseases No Higher With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

FRIDAY, May 3, 2024 -- Among postmenopausal women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), there is no higher risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared with women without IBD...

Study IDs Risk Factors for Extraintestinal Manifestations of IBD

WEDNESDAY, April 17, 2024 -- Certain demographic, clinical, and genetic factors heighten the risk for extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs) with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)...

Arrythmias Are a Significant Comorbidity in Adult Congenital Heart Disease

WEDNESDAY, April 17, 2024 -- For patients with adult congenital heart disease, arrythmias are a significant comorbidity and are associated with health care use and increased...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.