Risk for Obstructive Lung Disease Increased in IBD

Patients experience an increased risk for obstructive lung disease (OLD) both before and after IBD diagnosis, according to results published in the United European Gastroenterology Journal. Tine Jess, MD, DMSC, and colleagues examined the odds of OLD prior to the onset of IBD and risk for OLD after onset in a nationwide, population-based cohort study. The researchers identified 24,238 individuals with IBD and matched them 1:10 to people without IBD. Patients with IBD were 60% more likely to have OLD before IBD onset (adjusted OR, 1.60; 95% CI: 1.53-1.67), and their risk for OLD was more than 40% higher following IBD diagnosis (adjusted HR [aHR], 1.43; 95% CI, 1.37-1.49). A sensitivity analysis increased this risk to 60% (aHR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.53-1.73). Results were similar for COPD and asthma separately; the risk for bronchiectasis increased more than two-fold (aHR, 2.44; 95% CI, 1.91- 3.11). “We encourage physicians to be vigilant [for] pulmonary symptoms in persons with IBD,” Dr. Jess and colleagues wrote.