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Published on: February 10, 2015
The association between bilirubin concentrations and inflammatory bowel disease: Insights from a systematic review
Stefano Zoroddu1, Biagio Di Lorenzo1, Panagiotis Paliogiannis2,3
1Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy.
Background:
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), poses a significant challenge to health care systems because of its chronic nature and increasing global prevalence. Effective management of IBD requires accurate diagnostic tools and biomarkers. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the relationship between bilirubin concentrations and IBD activity and outcomes.
Methods:
A comprehensive search of electronic databases identified 11 studies that included 2606 subjects with IBD and 3607 healthy controls.
Results:
Bilirubin concentrations were significantly lower in subjects with IBD when compared to controls (SMD = -0.96, 95% CI -1.21 to -0.70; p < .001). Although substantial heterogeneity was observed, sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of the results. Publication bias was detected, but subgroup analyses did not significantly alter the results. Meta-regression showed that age was a significant factor influencing the association between bilirubin concentrations and IBD. Subgroup analyses showed a more pronounced reduction in bilirubin concentrations in subjects with CD than those with UC.
Conclusion:
This study supports the potential utility of bilirubin as a biomarker in IBD, emphasizing the need for further research to validate its clinical significance.
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