Related Experiment Videos
Pulmonary function abnormalities in respiratory asymptomatic patients with inflammatory bowel disease
Alexandra Dierkes-Globisch1, Hans Mohr
1Department of Internal Medicine, Military Hospital of German Armed Forces Koblenz, Medical Division, Johannes-Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
European Journal of Internal Medicine
|September 13, 2002
Summary
Pulmonary function abnormalities are common in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients, affecting approximately 20%. These lung function issues appear to be an extraintestinal manifestation of IBD.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Pulmonology
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- Pulmonary function abnormalities are increasingly recognized in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
- The exact prevalence and contributing factors of lung dysfunction in IBD remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the frequency of pulmonary dysfunction in patients with IBD.
- To identify potential confounding factors associated with these lung abnormalities.
Main Methods:
- A crossover study involving 44 IBD patients (Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis) without respiratory symptoms.
- Pulmonary function testing and chest X-rays were performed.
- A control group of 44 healthy subjects, matched for demographics and smoking status, was included.
Main Results:
- Approximately 21% of ulcerative colitis patients and 20% of Crohn's disease patients exhibited ventilatory defects.
- Pulmonary function abnormalities were significantly more prevalent in IBD patients compared to controls (5%, P<0.05).
- No correlation was found between lung abnormalities and disease characteristics, medication, smoking, or atopy.
Conclusions:
- Pulmonary involvement is a more frequent extraintestinal manifestation of IBD than previously thought.
- The underlying causes and confounding factors for pulmonary dysfunction in IBD require further investigation.