To Örebro University

OBJECTIVES: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic disorder linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the impact of histologic and clinical activity on this association remains unclear.

METHODS: We conducted a nationwide cohort study in Sweden involving 59,168 IBD patients diagnosed in 1969-2017 with histologic evaluation and 91,800 patients diagnosed in 1969-2020 with assessment of clinical activity in 2006-2021. The primary outcome was incident major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), a composite outcome encompassing ischemic heart disease, stroke, and heart failure. Cox proportional hazards model estimated adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) of MACE and its subcomponents.

RESULTS: We found an increased MACE risk following histologic inflammation (n = 868, incidence rate [IR]: 86.3/10,000 person-years) compared to remission (n = 558, IR = 71.3) (aHR = 1.16 [1.04-1.30]). This excess risk was evident in Crohn's disease (aHR = 1.30 [1.03-1.64]) and ulcerative colitis (aHR = 1.13 [1.01-1.27]). Histologic inflammation was associated with an increased risk of ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and heart failure, but not with hemorrhagic stroke. Compared to clinically quiescent IBD, active IBD was associated with an increased MACE risk (IR: 131.4 vs. 93.7; aHR = 1.54 [1.46-1.63]) and all MACE subcomponents. In patients with clinically quiescent IBD, histologic inflammation remained linked to myocardial infarction (aHR = 1.29 [1.06-1.58]) and heart failure (aHR = 1.19 [1.00-1.43]).

CONCLUSION: Both histologic and clinical activities of IBD were associated with an increased MACE risk, suggesting that improved disease control may reduce MACE risk in IBD.