Is Inflammatory Bowel Disease A Risk Factor for Coronary Artery Disease?
The link between chronic bowel inflammation and coronary artery disease (CAD) was explored in another study, “Is Inflammatory Bowel Disease a Risk Factor for Coronary Artery Disease,” which focused on 79 patients who had confirmed inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and CAD diagnosis. Forty-six patients had ulcerative colitis and 52 percent were males in the study group, compared to 40 percent males in the control group. Using the Framingham risk score FRS), which is calculated based on age, sex, hypertension, diabetes, tobacco use, total cholesterol and HDL values, the study found that FRS was lower in patients with IBD and CAD compared with the control group of patients with just CAD, implying that IBD is an independent risk factor for CAD. “Recurrent flares of intestinal mucosal inflammation leads to the presence of excess pro-inflammatory cytokines and serum soluble adhesion molecules in IBD that could promote atherosclerosis-related inflammation, alter lipid metabolism, and contribut
