IBD Linked to a Considerably Higher Risk of Atrial Fibrillation

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), have a significantly higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF), according to a study published in the International Journal of Cardiology: Heart & Vasculature. 

In this systematic literature review, researchers analyzed 7 studies comprising 88,893,407 patients (1,002,719 in the IBD group and 87,890,688 in the non-IBD group). They used risk ratios (RRs) with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in a random-effects model. Statistical significance was set at P<.05.

According to the study, patients with IBD were at an increased risk of developing AF [RR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.19-1.95; P=.0009] compared with those in the non-IBD group. In subgroup analyses, patients with UC were at an increased risk of developing AF [RR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.08-1.53; P=.004], as were patients with CD [RR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.07-1.58; P=.008] compared with the non-UC and non-CD groups.

“Patients with IBD are at nearly 1.5 times the risk of developing AF compared [with] the non-IBD population. Our meta-analysis was limited by heterogeneity among the studies, highlighting the importance of further large-scale prospective studies to establish more robust evidence,” the researchers concluded.