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A recent study and meta-analysis revealed that inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with modest increases in the risk of stroke, all-cause dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis, emphasizing the need for further research on the connection between IBD and other neurological disorders.

The following is a summary of “Risk of Common Neurological Disorders in Adult Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis,” published in the January 2024 issue of Gastroenterology by Zamani et al.

Researchers started a retrospective study using a systematic review and meta-analysis to unveil potential links between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and the development of common neurological disorders.

They conducted a literature search (June 30, 2023) using Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and ProQuest databases. Goal was to identify cohort studies examining the risk of stroke, all-cause dementia, Parkinson’s disease (PD), multiple sclerosis (MS), seizure/epilepsy, and peripheral neuropathy in adult IBD patients compared to the non-IBD population. Pooled estimates were computed using a random-effects model, combining HRs with 95% CIs.

The results showed 22 cohorts, with 9 studies reporting 7,074 stroke events in 202,460 IBD patients, 5 studies reporting 3,783 all-cause dementia diagnoses in 109,602 IBD patients, 7 studies reporting 932 PD diagnoses in 354,792 IBD patients, and 1 study reporting 6 MS events in 35,581 IBD patients. Increased risks were observed for incident stroke (pooled HR = 1.19; 95% CI [1.06-1.31]), all-cause dementia (pooled HR = 1.22; 95% CI [1.05-1.38]), PD (pooled HR = 1.39; 95% CI [1.20-1.58]), and MS (HR = 2.89; 95% CI [1.02-8.42]). No eligible studies were found on peripheral neuropathy and seizure/epilepsy.

Investigators concluded that IBD was linked to modest rises in stroke, dementia, and Parkinson’s. More research is needed for other brain woes.

Source: academic.oup.com/ibdjournal/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/ibd/izae012/7589730