Lung disease more common with ulcerative colitis than Crohn’s disease

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is more often associated with ulcerative colitis (UC) than Crohn’s disease (CD), according to a study published online July 24 in Crohn’s & Colitis 360.

Sneh Parekh, D.O., from the University of Florida College of Medicine in Jacksonville, and colleagues examined the association between ILD and CD and UC, as well as contributing factors. The analysis included data from 8,865 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) seen at two major tertiary health care centers in the southeastern United States from 2012 to 2022.

The researchers found that 4.6% of patients had concomitant IBD and ILD. The prevalence of ILD was significantly higher in patients with UC than in those with CD. Demographics were similar between patients with UC-ILD and CD-ILD. However, comorbidity prevalence was significantly higher in minority patients than in White patients. Compared with patients with IBD only, those with IBD-ILD were significantly older, had a higher proportion of emergency department visits and hospitalizations, had a higher proportion of steroid use, and had a lower proportion prescribed mesalamine.

“Due to the increased health care burden that IBD-ILD poses on patients, early diagnosis and screening of ILD should be considered in all IBD patients, and perhaps in resource-limited settings, should focus on UC patients,” the authors write.

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