Increased arterial stiffness in Crohn's disease: prevalence, associated factors and impact of anti-TNF therapy.

Introduction: Recent studies have demonstrated the growing interest in cardiovascular risk in Crohn's disease (CD), the aim of our work is to highlight the need for research into the frequency of arterial stiffness (AS) and its link with certain associated factors, particularly those related to inflammation.

Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study involving 118 patients with CD. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) measured by applanation tonometry was the criterion for calculating AS, the study also investigated the association of AS especially the indicators of inflammation, as well as the impact of anti TNF alpha therapy on AS.

Results: The prevalence of AS, after adjustment for age and blood pressure level reached more than a quarter of patients compared to the cardiovascular risk which was low. The factors that were strongly associated with AS were age, systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Two parameters related to inflammation emerged as having a highly significant link after multivariate analysis: recurrence in the last year and length of disease with a p=0.008, and an OR of 5 and 9 successively. Patients treated with anti TNF alpha had a significant reduction in PWV. Conclusion : The prevalence of AS reached more than a quarter of patients with CD, the duration and recurrence rate of CD appear to be factors linked to inflammation. Treatment with anti TNF alpha seems to slow down PWV in these patients.