Immune-related disorders in families of children with inflammatory bowel disease - A prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND The aim of this paper was to examine the prevalence of immune-related disorders in families of children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) compared to those without IBD. METHODS Children ≤18 years of age presenting to the IBD clinic between September 2007 and August 2009 with an established diagnosis of IBD were recruited. Age and sex matched controls without IBD were recruited. The study was a single-centre prospective cohort study. Outcome measures were prevalence of immune-based/inflammatory diseases in families of both patients and controls. RESULTS One hundred and eight children in each group were recruited. Asthma was the most frequently reported disease in families of the IBD patients (52.8%) and controls (46.3%). The prevalence of IBD in families of IBD patients was significantly higher than in those without IBD (OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.04-3.95). CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of immune-based disorders, as a group, in families of children with IBD was not significantly higher when compared to children without IBD.