Comprehensive study of cardiovascular morbidity in hospitalized inflammatory bowel disease patients

Background: The full extent of cardiovascular morbidity in inflammatory bowel disease is not well understood. Objective: To comprehensively study the association of different cardiovascular diseases in hospitalized patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) using a large database. Methods: We used the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database to perform a cross-sectional study. The study group was defined as all hospitalized patients between ages 18-60 years included in the NIS 2006 database with a discharge diagnosis of IBD, as per the International Classification of Diseases - Clinical Modification, 9th revision (ICD-9-CM) codes. Individuals in the same age group whose hospital discharge records did not note IBD were identified as the control group. Cardiovascular diseases, identified by the ICD-9-CM codes, were studied comprehensively for their association with IBD using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Odds ratios were calculated adjusting for relevant patient comorbidities. Results: IBD was found to be strongly associated with mesenteric ischemia (adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 3.4; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.9-4.0) and venous thrombotic diseases (aOR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.25-1.53). Age and gender stratified analysis revealed that IBD is positively associated with dysrhythmias in females aged 18-39 years (aOR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.72-2.44). We did not find an increased risk of other cardiovascular diseases in IBD patients. Conclusions: Our study substantiates the previously reported associations of mesenteric ischemia and venous thrombotic disorders with IBD. Our study also suggests that young females with IBD might have an increased risk for dysrhythmias.