Increases Preterm Pregnancy Risk for IBD Patients

​University of Gothenburg researchers have found a statistically significant risk of pre-term births to mothers who are Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) patients.  IBD, including Crohn’s Disease and Colitis, causes visible inflammation and damage to the intestinal lining.  The new research indicates that even microscopic inflammation in a patient who might otherwise be considered to be in remission, has adverse implications for pre-term pregnancies.
 
Karl Mårild, the study's first author and corresponding author and an associate Professor of Pediatrics at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, and senior consultant pediatrician at the Department of Pediatrics, Queen Silvia Children's Hospital, Gothenburg, stated:  "Our results suggest that IBD treatment aimed at not merely alleviate symptoms of IBD, but also microscopically heal the intestine, can reduce the risk of giving birth preterm. If our results hold up in future studies, they may therefore be the basis for recommendations to confirm microscopic healing before pregnancy, to reduce such risks."