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Updated: Jun 19, 2026
Multidisciplinary Approach to Obesity Management: A Case Report
Published on: May 30, 2025
Beyond Inflammation - A Multidisciplinary Approach to Managing Obesity and Cardiometabolic Risk in Inflammatory Bowel
Samantha L Plush1,2,3, Peter Litwin1, Sangwoo Han1
1Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, 28 Woodville Road, Woodville south, Woodville South, SA, 5011, Australia.
Insights
Adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) face high rates of obesity and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), increasing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Integrating proactive screening and management into IBD care is crucial for improving long-term outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology
- Cardiology
- Metabolic Medicine
Background:
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients exhibit high obesity (40%) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) prevalence.
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a primary cause of mortality in IBD, linked to chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, and endothelial dysfunction.
- Traditional IBD care models often neglect proactive cardiometabolic risk screening and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current screening and management strategies for obesity, MASLD, and cardiometabolic comorbidities in IBD.
- To identify gaps in IBD care models regarding chronic disease management.
- To propose integrated multidisciplinary approaches for optimizing patient outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies focusing on IBD, obesity, MASLD, and CVD.
- Analysis of existing IBD service models and their integration of cardiometabolic care.
- Synthesis of therapeutic options for obesity and CVD risk reduction in IBD patients.
Main Results:
- Obesity prevalence in IBD has risen to 40%, contributing to MASLD and CVD.
- Visceral adiposity and systemic inflammation are key mechanisms linking IBD, MASLD, and CVD.
- Current IBD models lack prioritization of proactive cardiometabolic risk management.
Conclusions:
- Addressing obesity, MASLD, and CVD is critical for reducing morbidity and mortality in IBD.
- Integrated, multidisciplinary care models with proactive screening are essential for IBD services.
- Implementing these strategies within existing IBD infrastructure offers immediate opportunities to improve long-term patient outcomes.
Purpose Of Review:
Adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) demonstrate a high prevalence of obesity, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and cardiometabolic comorbidities. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of mortality in IBD. This review examines cardiometabolic and obesity screening, and management within IBD models of care to optimise chronic disease management.
Recent Findings:
Obesity prevalence in IBD has increased to 40%. Chronic systemic inflammation driven by visceral adiposity, proinflammatory cytokine production, insulin resistance and vascular endothelial dysfunction represent a unifying mechanism linking IBD, MASLD and CVD. Proactive management of cardiometabolic risk is not prioritised within traditional IBD service models. Therapeutic approaches to manage obesity and lower CVD risk in this cohort with concurrent optimisation of IBD control include dietary and lifestyle intervention through to anti-obesity pharmacotherapy and bariatric procedures. Integrated multidisciplinary models of care that leverage existing infrastructure and shared-care partnerships with primary care, proactive risk identification and management strategies should be adopted within specialist IBD services. As obesity, MASLD and CVD emerge as major contributors of morbidity and mortality in IBD, failure to systematically address cardiometabolic risk represents a critical gap in contemporary IBD care. Embedding proactive screening and multidisciplinary management within existing IBD infrastructure offers immediate actionable opportunity to improve long-term outcomes beyond inflammatory control.
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