Extraintestinal Risks in IBD: Who’s Most Vulnerable?

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) face a significant risk of developing extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs), with up to 40% experiencing symptoms beyond the digestive tract, according to a study published in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. A retrospective analysis of the SPARC-IBD registry has identified specific factors associated with these debilitating complications, particularly for those who develop multiple EIMs.

Among 1,211 IBD patients analyzed, 329 had at least 1 EIM, while 882 had none. Crohn’s disease patients and women were more likely to develop 2 or more EIMs (P = .005 and P ≤ .001, respectively). Ocular manifestations were the strongest indicator for multiple EIMs (P ≤ .001), and right colon involvement emerged as a predictor of IBD-associated arthritis (P = .021), regardless of whether the patient had Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.

" This is the first comprehensive large-cohort assessment of how EIMs relate to one another at the individual vs systems levels. Further, our analysis is the first to recognize specific locations of colon involvement associated with EIMs of IBD, regardless of IBD type,” concluded the study authors. “These results are important in identifying patients at risk of developing future EIMs and may help with risk stratification when choosing treatments.”

Reference:

Alizadeh M, Motwani K, Siaton BC, et al. Factors Associated With Extraintestinal Manifestations of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in SPARC-IBD [published correction appears in Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2024 Sep 14:izae217. doi: 10.1093/ibd/izae217]. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2024;30(11):2027-2036. doi:10.1093/ibd/izad280