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IBD flares, infectious gastroenteritis more common during heat waves
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Heat waves were associated with an increased risk for inflammatory bowel disease relapse and incidence of infectious gastroenteritis in a recent retrospective, observational study.
Researchers evaluated data from 783 patients with IBD and 786 with infectious gastroenteritis (IG) treated at the University Hospital of Zurich between 2001 and 2005, plus a control group of 506 cases of noninfectious, chronic intestinal inflammation. Climate data during the study was collected from the Swiss Federal Office for Meteorology and Climatology. A heat wave was defined as 6 days or longer with a temperature more than 9°F greater than the average daily maximum temperature.
Seventeen heat waves occurred during the study when risk for IBD and IG flares significantly. Risk increased by 4.6% in IBD (P=.0035) and 4.7% (P=.002) in IG risk for every day spent in a heat wave. No impact was observed among controls (P=.53). IG risk was more pronounced when the heat wave effect lagged by 7 days (7.2% increase per day; P<.0001), while lagging the effect had no significant impact on IBD flare risk (P=.34).
Additional adjustment for factors such as daily average temperature, seasonal pattern and age did not significantly alter results. Investigators observed a weak but significant interaction between sex and heat wave predictors for IBD flares, with daily risk increasing to 7.5% among females (P=.029), but not for controls or IG cases. A borderline significant seasonal pattern was observed in the IG group, peaking during winter (P=.052).
“This study ties heat stress to digestive symptoms, supporting the observed seasonal variation in the clinical course of IBD and suggests that microbial infections of the gut might be additionally influenced by climate changes,” researcher Christine N. Manser, MD, gastroenterology and hepatology division at University Hospital of Zurich, said in a press release. “During a heat wave, patients with IBD should be aware that there is an increased risk for a flare and contact their gastroenterologist in cases of an increase of stool frequency or abdominal pain.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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