Adam Faye, MD: Treating the Older Population With IBD

The overall population is aging, which increases the risk for a number of age-related disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

In data presented during the 2023 Digestive Disease Week (DDW) in Chicago, a team of investigators led by Adam S. Faye, MD, NYU Langone Health, found total skeletal muscle compared to psoas muscle were linked to a higher risk of adverse postoperative outcomes among geriatric patients with IBD.

In the study, the investigators looked at 97 patients with an average age at the time of surgery of 71 years. In addition, 11% had a preoperative infection, 13% were on preoperative corticosteroids, 29% required a non-elective surgery, and 45% had an adverse 30-day postoperative outcome.

In an interview with HCPLive®, Faye talked about the results and how there remains a need for more research in general into older patients with IBD.

“We know that the IBD population is aging, so there is a growing number of older adults,” he said. “When you look at the IBD population, about a third are actually 60 and older.”

Faye said the data show that there are more older patients with IBD not strictly because older adults are a larger segment of the population, but also the risk is increasing in this older population.

“Certainly a large portion of it is the baby boomers,” Faye said. “But what we are also seeing is that there is a rising incidence as well. So it is not only the prevalence, but also the number of older adults being newly diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease is increasing as well.”