Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Patients With Mental Disorders: What Do We Know?

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a multisystemic disease with a wide range of extraintestinal manifestations in both ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, while increasing evidence supports the interaction between gut and central nervous system, described as "gut-brain axis". According to epidemiological studies, it seems that patients with IBD present more frequently with impaired mental status compared to the general population, leading to diagnostic and management problems in this group of patients. The association between IBD and mental disorders, such as dementia and autism spectrum disorders, has not been fully clarified; genetic factors and the gut-brain axis seem to be involved. The purpose of this review is to present and analyze the epidemiological data about this issue, describe the possible pathogenetic mechanisms and discuss some considerations about the management of patients with IBD and impaired mental status.

Keywords: Autism; Dementia; Inflammatory bowel disease; Psychiatric diseases.

Figure 1

Inflammatory bowel disease-associated pathogenetic mechanisms of mental disorders. CD: Crohn’s disease; PD: Parkinson’s disease; IBD: inflammatory bowel disease; ASD: autism spectrum disorder.