Ever-mounting evidence is strengthening the link between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and immune-mediated respiratory conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Research has suggested that IBD and airway illnesses likely share common inflammatory pathways as well as predisposing genetic and environmental factors that result in pulmonary-intestinal cross-communication and affect the mucosal tissues of both tracts.

A Canadian study found Crohn’s disease incidence in asthma patients was 27% higher, while in those with COPD it was elevated by 55%. Ulcerative colitis incidence was 30% higher among patients with COPD.

By gender, women with asthma were more likely to develop Crohn’s disease than men were, while men with COPD were more likely to develop ulcerative colitis than women were.

See the full press review article by Diana Swift on MedPage Today here.

See the original article in the European Respiratory Journal here.