Type II diabetes mellitus increases the risk of inflammatory bowel disease in a prospective cohort study

Inflammatory bowel disease is a common digestive disorder and diabetes can lead to intestinal dysfunction. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease in combination with diabetes present a higher rate of hospitalization and consumption of medical resources, yet the association between type 2 diabetes and Inflammatory bowel disease remains unknown.

We studied 313,008 participants from the UK Biobank, including 5891 patients with type 2 diabetes at baseline. Multivariate Cox proportional risk models were constructed to examine the risks associated with type 2 diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease and its subtypes (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis). Potential confounders including sociodemographic, lifestyle, physical body indicators, psychological state, hypertension, and thyroid-related disorders were adjusted. Propensity score matching was also performed to analyze their sensitivity.

Of a total of 313,008 participants included in the study, 5891 (1.88 %) were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus at baseline and 1829 (0.58 %) of the entire cohort developed inflammatory bowel disease during follow-up, with a median follow-up time of 13.72 years. Patients with type 2 diabetes had a higher cumulative risk of inflammatory bowel disease compared to the non-type 2 diabetes population (inflammatory bowel disease: 1.24% vs. 0.57%, p < 0.001; Crohn's disease: 0.46% vs. 0.15%, p < 0.001; ulcerative colitis: 0.73% vs. 0.35%, p < 0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that type 2 diabetes was independently associated with inflammatory bowel disease (Hazard Ratio: 1.61 [95% Confidence Interval: 1.26-2.06], p < 0.001), Crohn's disease (Hazard Ratio: 2.10 [95% Confidence Interval: 1.39-3.17], p < 0.001) and ulcerative colitis (Hazard Ratio: 1.58 [95% Confidence Interval: 1.15-2.18], p = 0.005). In a propensity-matched analysis, type 2 diabetes still showed its ability to predict the risk of inflammatory bowel disease (Hazard Ratio: 2.09 [95% Confidence Interval: 1.55-2.83], p < 0.001), Crohn's disease (Hazard Ratio: 3.49 [95% Confidence Interval: 2.00 to 6.09], p < 0.001), and ulcerative colitis (Hazard Ratio: 1.76 [95% Confidence Interval: 1.20 to 2.56], p = 0.003) of robustness.

In patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, the risk of inflammatory bowel disease is higher, and the presence of gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with type 2 diabetes requires vigilance for the possibility of inflammatory bowel disease in clinical practice.