While the primary contributors to stroke have generally been considered to be cardiovascular problems such as elevated cholesterol levels and hypertension, a recent study brings to light a different potential risk factor.

New research indicates that a medical condition affecting the digestive system, particularly the intestines, could also be a harbinger of trouble.

The study raises alarm bells regarding the increased likelihood of stroke in individuals diagnosed with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), which manifests as an unrelenting inflammation within the intestinal tract.

For those unfamiliar, IBD is an umbrella term encompassing various disorders including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Remarkably, the study found that the elevated risk of stroke in individuals with IBD continues to persist for as long as a quarter of a century following their initial diagnosis.

However, it’s crucial to understand that this study doesn’t establish IBD as a direct cause of strokes, but rather draws attention to a significant correlation between them.

The results of the study reveal “that people with inflammatory bowel disease and their doctors should be aware of this long-term increased risk,” remarks study author Dr. Jiangwei Sun.

“Screening and management of stroke risk factors may be more urgent in people with IBD.”

The research study incorporated a substantial sample size of 85,006 biopsy-confirmed IBD patients. These participants were then paired with up to five individuals matching their birth year, gender, and residential county, but without a diagnosis of IBD. This brought the total number of individuals in the study to a staggering 406,987.

Over an average period of 12 years, they observed that 3,720 IBD patients experienced a stroke, as opposed to 15,599 of their non-IBD counterparts.

Accounting for additional variables that could influence the risk of strokes, like cardiac diseases, hypertension, and obesity, the research team discovered that those with IBD were 13 percent more susceptible to this severe health event.

Moreover, the heightened risk was predominantly linked with ischaemic stroke, a type that results from a blockage inhibiting blood flow to the brain, rather than haemorrhagic stroke caused by bleeding in the brain.

These eye-opening findings were published in the journal Neurology.

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