Lung Disease More Common With Ulcerative Colitis Than Crohn Disease

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 19, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is more often associated with ulcerative colitis (UC) than Crohn disease (CD), according to a study published online July 24 in Crohn”s & Colitis 360.

Sneh Parekh, D.O., from the University of Florida College of Medicine in Jacksonville, and colleagues examined the association of ILD in CD and UC, as well as contributory factors. The analysis included data from 8,865 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) seen at two major tertiary health care centers in the southeastern United States (2012 to 2022).

The researchers found that 4.6 percent of patients had concomitant IBD and ILD. A significantly higher prevalence of ILD was seen in patients with UC than in those with CD. Demographics were similar between patients with UC-ILD and CD-ILD. However, comorbid prevalence was significantly higher in minority patients than White patients. Compared with patients with IBD-only, those with IBD-ILD were significantly older, had a higher proportion of emergency department visits and hospitalizations, had a higher proportion of steroid use, and had a lower proportion of mesalamine prescribed.

“Due to the increased health care burden that IBD-ILD poses on patients, early diagnosis and screening of ILD should be considered in all IBD patients, and perhaps in resource-limited settings, should focus on UC patients,” the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text