title: Persistent Reactive Thrombocytosis May Increase the Risk of Coronary Artery Disease Among Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  IBD patients are at increased risk of coronary artery disease in the absence of traditional risk factors. However, the disease-related risk factors remain poorly understood although increased inflammation seems to increase cardiovascular disease risk in IBD. Thrombocytes are involved in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease, and a subset of IBD patients have reactive thrombocytosis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of persistent reactive thrombocytosis on the development of coronary artery disease in IBD.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated a retrospective cohort of 2525 IBD patients who were evaluated at the Henry Ford hospital from 2000 to 2004. We performed a case-control study comparing patients with persistent thrombocytosis and patients without persistent thrombocytosis. Cases (n = 36) and controls (n = 72) were matched for age and gender. Coronary artery disease incidence was compared between the two groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cases (n = 36) and controls (n = 72) were matched for age and gender. Cases and controls were similar in age at onset of IBD (41.5 vs. 35.5, p value 0.11) and smoking status (33.3 vs. 27.8%, p value 0.66). Persistent thrombocytosis was less common among Caucasian patients (44.44 vs. 62.5%, p value 0.09) and more common in patients who had exposure to steroids during the study follow-up period. Coronary artery disease occurred in 13 (36.1%) patients with persistent thrombocytosis compared to only seven (9.7%) patients in the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Persistent reactive thrombocytosis among IBD patients is associated with increased risk of coronary artery disease. Further studies should characterize the clinical and molecular associations of this phenomenon and determine appropriate therapeutic measures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI, USA. dr.sdthapa@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sudeep Dhoj
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Thapa
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Hiba
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hadid
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Waseem
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Imam
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Usman
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Syed-Mohammed
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Jafri
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schairer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015897:Comorbidity; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013922:Thrombocytosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: Coronary artery disease; Crohn’s disease; Inflammatory bowel disease; Platelets; Ulcerative colitis