Background: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is distinguished by primarily affecting the gastrointestinal system. Nevertheless, recent findings indicate a substantial correlation between IBD and cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to provide early detection of cardiac manifestations in IBD patients utilizing advanced imaging modalities like cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR)and echocardiography.
Methods: This single-center prospective cross-sectional research was performed on 100 patients diagnosed with IBD with disease flare between December 2021 and December 2022. All enrolled patients were subjected to Doppler echocardiography and CMR with Gadolinium enhancement.
Results: Our patients' mean Ejection Fraction (EF) by echocardiography was 58.66 ± 3.11, while by CMR, it was 52.45 ± 3.45, and the P-value was 0.01. Two patients presented with recent symptoms of acute heart failure. Their echocardiographic and CMR findings displayed dilated Left Ventricular(LV) dimensions with a significantly reduced LV EF of 35%. Four additional patients were presented with recurrent chest pain and dyspnea suggestive of possible myocardial ischemia. Their echocardiogram revealed a slight impairment in left ventricular systolic function, with an average ejection fraction of 51%. Nevertheless, according to CMR, the average EF of the four previous patients was 48%. Two out of the four patients had coronary stenosis, while the other two had either disease-induced or drug-induced systolic dysfunction.
Conclusion: Cardiac MRI may play a role in patients with IBD assessing cardiac affection's etiology, presence, and extent.