Risk of Stroke in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

ObjectiveObservational studies, to date, have provided inconsistent findings on whether inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with an increased risk of stroke. We therefore performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the association of IBD and its specific subtypes with risk of stroke.DesignWe searched electronic databases for studies through May 13, 2015 assessing risk of stroke in patients with IBD. Cohort and case-control studies that reported incident cases of stroke in patients with IBD and a non-IBD control population were eligible. We calculated pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).ResultsA total of 8 articles (126,493 IBD patients and 4748 cases of stroke) were included in this meta-analysis. The presence of IBD revealed a trend toward a modest increase in the risk of stroke incidence (HR = 1.29; 95% CI, 1.16-1.43). After subgroup analysis, Crohn's disease showed an increased risk of stroke incidence (7 studies: HR = 1.32; 95% CI, 1.13-1.56), and a significant association was also identified in ulcerative colitis (6 studies: HR = 1.18; 95% CI, 1.06-1.31). In addition, this risk is higher in women (6 studies: HR = 1.49; 95% CI, 1.24-1.79) than in men (HR = 1.22; 95% CI, 1.12-1.32). In the overall analysis we found considerable heterogeneity.ConclusionOur results show a positive association between IBD and the risk of stroke.