Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an independent risk factor for dry eye disease (DED), according to a study in October’s BMC Ophthalmology.

Specifically, the periodInflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an independent risk factor for dry eye disease (DED), according to a study in October’s BMC Ophthalmology. incidence of DED was 8.18 and 5.42 per 1000 person-years in the IBD and non-IBD groups, respectively, with the median follow-up time 8.3 years (interquartile range: 5.5 - 10.5). After adjusting for confounders, the study’s researchers found statistically significant links between IBD and DED [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR): 1.43, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.35 - 1.51, p < 0.0001], Sjögren's syndrome-related (aHR: 1.67, 95% CI:1.46 - 1.90, p < 0.0001) and non-Sjögren's syndrome-related subtypes (aHR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.30 - 1.46, p < 0.0001). 

Additionally, the study’s researchers noted elevated risks of corneal surface damage (aHR: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.03 - 1.24, p = 0.0094) among the IBD patients versus the controls. 

The matched nationwide cohort study, whose goal was to elucidate the temporal relationships among IBD, DED, and corneal surface damage, was comprised of 54,293 matched pairs. The median follow-up time was 8.3 years (interquartile range: 5.5 - 10.5).

For the full study, visit https://bmcophthalmol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12886-023-03165-z.