Evaluation of Endothelial Dysfunction via Flow-Mediated Dilation in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease Referred to Medical Centers in Kerman

Abstract

Background: By examining flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) as an index for indirect assessment of arterial endothelial function, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and early atherosclerosis. Methods: This study was performed on 75 patients with ulcerative colitis, 15 patients with Crohn’s disease, and 75 healthy individuals as the control group. Vascular endothelial function was assessed by FMD and Doppler ultrasonography of the right brachial artery. Results: The mean FMD in IBD patients (12.04±3.8) was lower than that of the persons in the control group (16.68±2.2). Besides, the mean FMD in Crohn’s patients was 12.02±3.5 and the corresponding value in the patients with ulcerative colitis was 12.07±4.2, showing no significant difference (P=0.78). There was a significant opposite relationship between age and FMD in the control group, meaning that as age increased, FMD decreased (r=0.6, P=0.01). However, there was no association between age and FMD among IBD patients. Conclusion: Given that this study focused on people without known risk factors for atherosclerosis, the results pointed to endothelial dysfunction in IBD patients, and IBD can be considered an independent factor in the development of atherosclerosis.