Inflammatory bowel disease can increase the risk of a heart attack

New research is to be presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 67th Annual Scientific Session in the next few days, that shows individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at an elevated risk of a heart attack.  Using the medical data of 17.5 million patients, the researchers found that the risk of a heart attack is elevated even if the individuals do not have known risk factors for heart disease such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure or smoking.

According to the research those aged between 18 and 24 with IBD are at the highest risk, in fact younger patients had about 9 times the risk of a heart attack compared to their peers in the same age group who didn’t have IBD.  

NOTE:  Inflammatory bowel disease is an umbrella term for two chronic conditions, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.