Is IBD Associated With Other Autoimmune Disorders?

Question: Is IBD Associated With Other Autoimmune Disorders?

Answer: Unfortunately, yes. Our immune system normally protects us from diseases such as a cold or the flu, or from infection. However, the immune system can sometimes go haywire and mistakenly think that healthy body tissue is harmful. This immune system malfunction can result in an autoimmune disorder. An autoimmune disorder is a condition where the immune system attacks the healthy body tissue as if it were a foreign object such as a virus.

The two types of IBD, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, are autoimmune diseases. People who have one type of autoimmune disorder tend to have other types as well. Some examples of more common autoimmune conditions include rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, and thyroid disease. Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common autoimmune disease that is associated with IBD, followed by multiple sclerosis.

_Sources:

Cohen R, Robinson D, Paramore C, Fraeman K, Renahan K, Bala M. ”Autoimmune disease concomitance among inflammatory bowel disease patients in the United States, 2001-2002.” Inflammatory Bowel Diseases 25 Feb 2008. 5 Mar 2008.

Bernstein CN, Wajda A, Blanchard JF. “The Clustering of Other Chronic Inflammatory Diseases in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Population-Based Study.” Gastroenterology Sept 2005 129: 827-836. 5 Mar 2008.

Gupta G, Gelfand JM, Lewis JD. ”Increased Risk for Demyelinating Diseases in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease.” Gastroenterology Sept 2005 129: 819-826. 5 Mar 2008.