Patients with schizophrenia had a higher chance of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) than the general population. A large study from Taiwan showed that patients with schizophrenia were more likely to acquire IBD at a younger age, and the risk rises with poorly treated schizophrenia.

Researchers used the Taiwan national health insurance research database to evaluate the risk of new-onset IBD in 116,164 patients with schizophrenia and 464,656 matched controls. Individuals with schizophrenia showed a higher incidence of IBD than matched controls (1.14 % vs 0.25 %, P.001). ). A similar trend was observed in both ulcerative colitis (0.72 % versus 0.12 %, P.001) and Crohn′s disease (0.42 % vs 0.13 %, P.001) patients. In addition, patients with schizophrenia developed IBD at a younger age than matched controls (46.8 years vs 55.3 years; P.001).

In adjusted analyses, patients with schizophrenia had a threefold higher chance of developing IBD (hazard ratio [HR], 3.28; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 2.49–4.33). Patients with ulcerative colitis (HR, 4.84; 95 % CI, 3.32–7.07) and Crohn′s disease (HR, 2.08; 95 % CI, 1.37–3.15) had a greater risk of IBD. Moderate to severe IBD (36.8% vs 20.5 %, P =.004) was observed in patients with schizophrenia compared to controls.

The chance of getting IBD was greater among patients with anxiety disorders compared to patients with other autoimmune diseases, obesity, smoking, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorders. The study was published online in Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutic and adds to the evidence indicating there might be a relationship between the brain and the gut.

(Medscape Medical News, April 28, 2022)