Inflammatory bowel disease and obesity: current state of issue

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been always associated by clinicians with impaired absorption of nutrients, chronic blood loss from mucosal defects, asthenic syndrome and weight deficit. In recent decades the incidence of IBD has significantly increased, especially in developed countries, and this is believed to be partly due to diet and lifestyle global changes. The prevalence of obesity has increased in parallel with the growth of IBD. In the course of epidemiological and clinical studies was found that obesity affects the course of the disease and the response to therapy in patients with IBD. There is an increasing evidence of the active role of adipokines in pro – and anti-inflammatory processes in both obesity and autoimmune disease in the gastrointestinal tract. Despite the fact that the data found on the subject of coherence between IBD and obesity was contradictory, most studies confirm the correlation between obesity and high risks of surgery on the intestine, deterioration of drug absorption, and the development of perianal complications in patients with IBD. The clinical significance of this problem in the context of a steady increase of the incidences of obesity and IBD in Russia and the world as a whole, as well as research data, indicate in favor of the mutual burden of these diseases. The present article demonstrates results of the сore researches conducted on the subject and identifies current, unresolved issues, which demonstrate necessity of further experimental and clinical studies.