The impact of inflammatory bowel diseases on the development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk

Objective : To study the impact of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) on the development of atherosclerosis and assess cardiovascular risk in patients without established cardiovascular pathology. Materials and Methods . The study included 115 patients divided into three groups: 37 patients with Crohn’s disease (CD), 44 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), and 34 patients in a control group without signs of IBD or other risk factors. All participants underwent carotid artery ultrasound (CAU), assessment of 10-year cardiovascular risk using the Framingham scale, and evaluation of basic laboratory parameters. Results . Patients with IBD demonstrated an increased intima-media thickness (IMT) of the common carotid artery (CCA): in the UC group, the IMT on the right side was 0.08 cm, and on the left side was 0.07 cm (p=0.019 and p=0.012, respectively); in the CD group, the IMT was 0.07 cm (p=0.001). In the control group, the IMT was 0.06 cm. Levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen were significantly higher in the IBD groups compared to controls. The calculation of 10-year cardiovascular risk using the Framingham scale revealed no significant differences between the groups: the median risk was 1.54% [0.99-2.68] for the CD group, 1.59% [1.25-2.7] for the UC group, and 1.32% [1.04-2.17] for the control group (p=0.625). The number of patients with moderate and high risk (>10%) also did not differ significantly between the groups (p=0.135). Conclusion : IBD is associated with thickening of vascular walls and elevated levels of inflammatory markers, which may indicate an increased risk of developing atherosclerosis. However, the cardiovascular risk calculated using the Framingham scale did not differ significantly between the groups, highlighting the potential need for additional risk assessment in patients with IBD.