IBD history does not increase risk of acute coronary syndrome

A history of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is not associated with the risk of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), suggests a study. Moreover, mortality does not differ between ACS-related admission with or without IBD history.

This retrospective analysis utilized the National Inpatient Sample database. The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD9) was used to identify all diagnoses, including IBD, ACS, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking, obesity and alcohol abuse.

Odds ratio (OR) was calculated using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. T test was used to assess the means, and the SPSS software version 24 was used for analysis.

Using the ICD9 codes, a total of 57,984 admissions with IBD history were identified, of which 7,894 had ulcerative colitis, 40,628 had Crohn’s disease, and 414 had ACS-related admissions. Patients (56.5 percent female; 81.3 percent white) had a mean age of 50 years.

Mean length of stay was longer, albeit not statistically significant, for patients with ACS-related admission and IBD history compared to those without (5.4 vs 4.4 days; p=0.08).

In multivariate logistic regression analysis, patients with IBD history were less likely to have ACS (OR, 0.73, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.0669–0.0812; p<0.000). However, IBD history was associated with smoking (OR, 1.569, 95 percent CI, 1.540–1.600; p<0.05), hypertension (OR, 2.732, 95 percent CI, 2.689–2.777; p<0.005), diabetes mellitus (OR, 1.468, 95 percent CI, 0.428–1.508; p<0.005), but not alcohol abuse (OR, 0.585, 95 percent CI, 0.56–0.611; p<0.05).

No inpatient mortality difference was observed between ACS-related admission with IBD history and those without, according to the investigators.