Cardiovascular Mortality Trends Among Elderly Non‐Hispanic White Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease in the United States: Divergent Trends in Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis (1999–2023)

ABSTRACT Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), comprising Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), is a chronic immune‐mediated disorder associated with an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)–related mortality. However, national patterns of CVD mortality among individuals with IBD remain poorly characterized. To address this gap, we examined temporal trends and demographic and regional disparities in IBD‐related CVD mortality among non‐Hispanic White Americans aged ≥ 65 years. Using mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (1999–2023), we identified deaths in which CVD was listed as the underlying cause and IBD as a contributing condition, yielding 10,156 deaths for analysis. UC‐related CVD mortality declined significantly over the study period, whereas CD‐related mortality showed a modest but statistically nonsignificant upward pattern. Higher mortality rates were consistently observed among males, adults aged ≥ 85 years, and residents of the U.S. South, with suggestive increases in CD‐related mortality within these subgroups. Although the overall upward trend in CD‐related CVD mortality did not reach statistical significance, the demographic and geographic patterns point to meaningful disparities in risk among elderly White adults. These findings underscore the need to prioritize high‐risk subgroups through enhanced cardiovascular risk assessment, tailored prevention strategies, and strengthened region‐specific healthcare resources.