Risk for 'most' cardiovascular diseases no higher with inflammatory bowel disease, study finds

Among postmenopausal women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), there is no higher risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared with women without IBD, although the risk for ischemic stroke may be higher, according to a study published online April 29 in Digestive Diseases and Sciences.

Ruby Greywoode, M.D., from the Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York, and colleagues examined whether women with IBD have increased CVD risk after menopause. The analysis included data from 134,022 Women's Health Initiative participants.

The researchers found that after adjusting for age and other confounders, there was no significant difference between IBD and non-IBD women for the risk for coronary heart disease (hazard ratio [HR], 0.96; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.73 to 1.24), venous thromboembolism (HR, 1.11; 95 percent CI, 0.81 to 1.52), or peripheral arterial disease (HR, 0.64; 95 percent CI, 0.28 to 1.42).

However, the risk for ischemic stroke was significantly higher (HR, 1.41; 95 percent CI 1.06 to 1.88) in women with IBD than in those without, when adjusting for age. This risk was attenuated and no longer statistically significant with further adjustment (HR, 1.31; 95 percent CI, 0.98 to 1.76).

"As newer medications used in the treatment of IBD, such as JAK inhibitors, are associated with increased CV events, understanding other factors that may elevate the CV risk for patients with IBD is increasingly important," the authors write.

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