IBD is a chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract with environmental, genetic, immune and microbiota factors contributing to the pathogenesis. It has been known that IBD is a risk factor for a number of immune-related, cardiovascular, metabolic, neurological and psychological diseases1,2. However, there is limited studies focusing on risk factors of these comorbidities in IBD patients, the pathogenesis mechanism and the relationship between IBD and comorbidities. We therefore propose our research to comprehensively investigate IBD and risk of comorbidities with the following research aims: 1) to investigate the association of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and risk of immune-related and non-immune-related comorbidities; 2) to investigate the risk factors of immune-related and non-immune-related comorbidities in IBD patients; 3) to investigate whether the association of IBD and risk of comorbidites differ by individual genetic profile; 4) to construct risk scores for various comorbidities with risk factor status in IBD patients. This project is estimated to last for 2-3 years. The research results will aid the understanding of the association between IBD and comorbidities, and the underlying pathogenesis. Hopefully this will enable more precise and stratified strategies for comorbidity prevention and health care in IBD patients.
