Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease due to chronic inflammation. One of the primary indicators of atherosclerosis is the carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), which is used as a non-invasive marker to assess vascular health. This study aimed to investigate the CIMT in patients with IBD and evaluate its relationship with factors such as age, sex, type of disease, duration of disease, and body mass index (BMI). Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the summer of 2019 at Sayyad Shirazi Hospital in Gorgan. Patients with IBD were recruited from the Gastroenterology and Liver Research Center database. CIMT was measured in the carotid arteries using ultrasonography, and the data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16. Results: Out of 34 subjects, 24 (70.6%) were female and 31 (91.2%) were patients with ulcerative colitis. The mean age (standard deviation) of the patients was 43.17 (9.8) years, and the duration of the disease was 10.18 (6.83) years. The mean CIMT in the right and left arteries were 0.10 (0.51) and 0.14 (0.48) mm, respectively. Overall, CIMT in patients over 40 years of age was significantly higher on the right (P=0.010) and left (P=0.003) sides than in patients under 40 years. No significant differences were observed between the two sexes, the type of disease (Crohn's or ulcerative colitis), the duration of the disease, and BMI. Conclusion: Patients with IBD over 40 years of age had significantly greater CIMT thickness and were at a higher risk for atherosclerosis.