Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2024 Feb 27:izae027. doi: 10.1093/ibd/izae027. Online ahead of print.

Tong Gong ¹, Bronwyn K Brew ^1 2, Cecilia Lundholm ¹, Awad I Smew ¹, Arvid Harder ¹, Ralf Kuja-Halkola ¹, Jonas F Ludvigsson ^1 3, Yi Lu ¹, Catarina Almqvist ^1 4

Author information

¹Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

²Centre for Big Data Research in Health and School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

³Department of Pediatrics, Orebro University Hospital, Orebro, Sweden.

⁴Pediatric Allergy and Pulmonology Unit at Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

Abstract

Background: Little is known about shared origins between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and allergic diseases (asthma, allergic rhinitis, and eczema). We aimed to expand current knowledge on the etiological sources of comorbidities between these disorders using a range of genetically informed methods.

Methods: Within-individual and familial co-aggregation analysis was applied to 2 873 445 individuals born in Sweden from 1987 to 2014 and their first- and second-degree relatives. Quantitative genetic modeling was applied to 38 723 twin pairs to decompose the genetic and environmental sources for comorbidity. Polygenic risk score analysis between IBD and allergic diseases was conducted in 48 186 genotyped twins, and linkage disequilibrium score regression was applied using publicly available data to explore the genetic overlap.

Results: IBD was associated with asthma (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.30 to 1.40), allergic rhinitis (aOR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.20 to 1.34), and eczema (aOR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.38 to 1.56), with similar estimates for ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease. The ORs for familial co-aggregation decreased with decreasing genetic relatedness. Quantitative genetic modeling revealed little evidence of common genetic factors between IBD and allergic diseases (eg, IBD and allergic rhinitis; genetic correlation ra = 0.06; 95% CI, -0.03 to 0.15) but did reveal some evidence of unique environmental factors between IBD and eczema (re = 0.16; 95% CI, 0.00 to 0.32). Molecular genetic analyses were similarly null for IBD and allergic diseases, except for a slight association between Crohn's disease polygenic risk score and eczema (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.12).

Conclusions: We found little evidence to support a shared origin between IBD and any allergic disease but weak evidence for shared genetic and unique environmental components for IBD and eczema.