Canadian researchers looked at the relationship between IBD and common respiratory and neurological diseases. Results of this study suggest that the people with IBD have a significantly increased prevalence of asthma, bronchitis, arthritis and psoriasis. While some of these co-morbidities have been found previously, this study is the first to discover a significantly higher prevalence of asthma in IBD patients compared with non-IBD patients.

"People with IBD are 1.5 times as likely to have asthma as people in the general population," said Charles N. Bernstein, MD, lead study author from the University of Manitoba in Canada. "Airway diseases are the second most common chronic inflammatory disease assessed in patients with either Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis."

Study data comes from the University of Manitoba IBD database, which included 8,072 people diagnosed with IBD over a 19-year period. Each of these people was matched randomly with 10 members of the general population by age, gender and geographic location. Ulcerative colitis patients were 50 to 70 percent more likely than the general population to have asthma, while Crohn's patients were about 30 to 40 percent more likely.

Overall, people with IBD had a significantly higher prevalence than the general population for the following disorders: asthma, bronchitis, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, chronic renal disease, psoriasis and pericarditis. This study is the largest population-based study to assess the co-morbidity of these important immune-based diseases. Differences were not only found between the two diseases, but also in gender and age. Females had a greater percentage of pulmonary co-morbidities than males and more old people had bronchitis.

"The findings from this study highlight an often overlooked association between intestinal disorders and the respiratory system," said Loftus. "Long-term consequences of untreated pulmonary involvement in IBD are substantial and physicians should at least follow-up respiratory complaints with pulmonary function tests."

About the AGA
The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) is dedicated to the mission of advancing the science and practice of gastroenterology. Founded in 1897, the AGA is the oldest medical-specialty society in the United States. The AGA's 14,500 members include physicians and scientists who research, diagnose and treat disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and liver. On a monthly basis, the AGA publishes two highly respected journals, Gastroenterology and Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. The AGA's annual meeting is Digestive Disease Week®, which is held each May and is the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers and academics in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery.