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Published on: February 27, 2014
Childhood growth and risk of inflammatory bowel disease: a population-based study of 317,030 children
Michael Mendall1, Camilla B Jensen2, Lars H Ängquist2
1Department of Gastroenterology, Croydon University Hospital, Thornton Heath , Surrey , UK.
Insights
Childhood growth, including birth weight and height, does not impact the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This study found no association between early growth patterns and later IBD diagnosis in a large Danish cohort.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Gastroenterology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Childhood growth is linked to autoimmune diseases and cancer risk.
- The relationship between childhood growth and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) risk is not well understood.
- This study investigates the impact of birth weight and childhood height on IBD development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if birth weight, childhood height, or height changes influence the risk of developing IBD.
- To examine associations between childhood growth metrics and subsequent IBD diagnosis.
Main Methods:
- Population-based cohort study using the Copenhagen School Health Records Register (317,030 children, born 1930-1989).
- Data included birth weight (subset) and repeated height measurements from ages 7 to 13.
- Linkage to the Danish National Patients Register identified IBD cases; Cox proportional hazard regression analyzed growth associations.
Main Results:
- Over 9 million person-years of follow-up, 1612 Crohn's disease (CD) and 2640 ulcerative colitis (UC) cases were identified.
- Birth weight and childhood heights showed no association with subsequent CD or UC risk.
- Childhood growth patterns (ages 7-10 and 10-13) were not associated with IBD risk.
Conclusions:
- Birth weight and childhood growth do not appear to influence the risk of developing IBD.
- This finding contrasts with established links between growth and other chronic diseases.
- The study suggests that pre-clinical IBD effects are not detectable through childhood growth, and childhood factors do not impact growth.
Abstract:
Background: Growth in childhood is associated with later development of autoimmune diseases and cancer, but the impact of growth on risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remains unknown. We conducted a population-based cohort study to examine whether birth weight, childhood height, or changes in height associated with later risk of IBD. Methods: Our cohort consisted of 317,030 children from the Copenhagen School Health Records Register (born 1930-1989) with height repeatedly measured from age 7 to 13 and with data on birth weight on a subset. Through linkage to the Danish National Patients Register, cases of IBD were identified. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to examine associations between measures of childhood growth and risk of IBD. Results: During more than 9 million years of follow-up, 1612 individuals were diagnosed with Crohn's disease (CD) and 2,640 with ulcerative colitis (UC). Birth weight and childhood heights were not associated with subsequent risk of CD or UC (HRs close to 1.00). Childhood growth from 7 to 10 years (CD: HR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.85-1.18; UC: HR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.81-1.05) and 10 to 13 years (CD: HR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.89-1.17; UC: HR, 0.95; 0.85-1.05) did not associate with risk of IBD either. Conclusion: In this large population-based cohort study, birth weight and childhood growth did not influence risk of IBD, which contrasts with observations in other chronic diseases. Thereby, the study also suggests that pre-clinical effects of adult IBD are not measurable in childhood and that childhood risk factors for IBD do not influence growth.
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