CHICAGO — A history of foodborne infections nearly triples the risk of inflammatory bowel disease, according to data from a population-based study of nearly 40,000 adults.
“We have seen increased incidence of both colitis and Crohn's disease in recent years,” said Dr. Henrik Nielsen of Aalborg (Denmark) Hospital. The pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remains uncertain. Previous studies have suggested a role for environmental factors, including infections, but few of these studies have included long-term follow-up data, he said at the annual Digestive Disease Week.
Dr. Nielsen and his colleagues used laboratory registries from 1991 to 2003 to identify 13,148 adults with a history of Salmonella or Campylobacter gastroenteritis, and 26,216 controls without a history of these infections.
During an average follow-up of 7.5 years, a first-time diagnosis of IBD was reported in 107 individuals with a history of Salmonella or Campylobacter infections, and in 73 controls. The risk of IBD was similar for both pathogens, and was independent of age and sex. In the group with the history of infections, the odds ratio for IBD was 2.9 during the entire follow-up period and 1.9 when the first year after infection was excluded.
The study could not prove causality because of its retrospective nature, but the results may contribute to a better understanding of the etiology of IBD, said Dr. Nielsen, who had no financial conflicts to disclose.
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