Study by Saint Luke’s Hospital gastroenterologists shows patients with inflammatory bowel disease are significantly more likely to have common liver disease

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Research conducted by gastroenterologists from Saint Luke’s Hospital and University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine has revealed that patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are more likely to develop nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most common liver disease in the Western World.

In a presentation to the American College of Gastroenterology in 2014 that was deemed one of the most significant studies of the year, senior investigator Rajiv Chhabra, M.D. of Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City revealed the prevalence of NAFLD in 44.3 percent of patients with IBD, as compared to 15.7 percent in the control population. The presence of IBD was the only risk factor predicting the presence of NAFLD.

“As therapies for IBD have improved, we have increasingly recognized NAFLD in those patients with IBD,” said Dr. Chhabra, gastroenterologist with Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City. “The reason for the higher rate of NAFLD in IBD patients is unclear, but inflammation and changes to the intestinal microbiome caused by IBD may play a role.”

This study changes the previous perception that sclerosing cholangitis was the most common liver disease among patients with IBD. Patients in the retrospective study group were diagnosed with NAFLD using CT imaging of the abdomen. The data revealed that significantly lower albumin levels and higher platelet counts also were observed in patients suffering from IBD.  

“Physicians should at least be aware of the elevated risk and consider screening patients with IBD for NAFLD,” asserts Dr. Chhabra. “The results of this study are striking, and are leading us to look further into possible causes.”   

Additional collaborators on the study from Saint Luke’s include Jason Dundulis, M.D., Shaya Ansari, M.D., and John Helzberg, M.D.
      
Saint Luke’s GI Specialists
Saint Luke’s GI Specialists of Kansas City specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon and rectum, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, and biliary system. Offering multidisciplinary care in two offices and outpatient surgical centers, our team of specialists provides diagnoses and therapies for general GI disorders, including reflux, peptic ulcers, gallstones, lactose intolerance, diverticulitis, inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease/ulcerative colitis), dysphagia/swallowing disorders, hepatitis, Celiac disease, constipation, and advanced therapeutic endoscopy, which focuses on complex biliary and pancreatic disease. Saint Luke’s GI Specialists collaborates closely with Saint Luke’s Liver & Transplant Specialists and Saint Luke’s Surgical Specialists.