Inflammatory bowel disease and the heart: how trained immunity shapes cardiovascular outcomes
- 1Organization Hunan Aerospace Hospital, The Affiliated Aerospace Hospital of Hunan Normal University
Abstract
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), comprising Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, is a chronic relapsing intestinal inflammatory disorder. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death in patients with IBD, with elevated risks of myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke, and venous thromboembolism that are independent of traditional risk factors. Disease activity and histological inflammation independently predict major adverse cardiovascular events, and Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis differ in cardiovascular risk profiles. This residual risk points to immune mechanisms that remain unclear. Trained immunity (TI), an innate immune memory induced by epigenetic and metabolic reprogramming, may link chronic intestinal inflammation to cardiovascular injury. This review integrates epidemiological and mechanistic evidence, outlines cardiovascular risk features in IBD, examines the molecular basis of TI and its roles in atherosclerosis, myocardial injury, and heart failure, and evaluates candidate biomarkers and targeted therapeutic strategies. We also discuss current limitations and challenges in clinical translation and propose future research directions, to inform mechanistic studies and clinical interventions for IBD-associated CVD.
Related
- Cardiovascular outcomes associated With GLP-1 and dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists in patients with type 2 diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease: A retrospective real-world cohort study
- From marrow memory to adverse ventricular remodeling: trained immunity after myocardial infarction
- Immunometabolic synaptopathy: linking metabolic syndrome to epileptogenesis through trained immunity and parvalbumin interneuron vulnerability
- Trained immunity in cancer immunotherapy and vaccine development: mechanisms, evidence gaps, and translational opportunities
- Human macrophages encode stimulus-specific information of prior exposures through trained immunity
BibTeX
@article{liang2026inflammatory,
title = {{Inflammatory bowel disease and the heart: how trained immunity shapes cardiovascular outcomes}},
author = {Shuanghua Liang and Long Han},
journal = {Frontiers in Immunology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fimmu.2026.1935682},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1935682/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Inflammatory bowel disease and the heart: how trained immunity shapes cardiovascular outcomes
AU - Shuanghua Liang
AU - Long Han
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/19
JO - Frontiers in Immunology
DO - 10.3389/fimmu.2026.1935682
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1935682/full
AB - Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), comprising Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, is a chronic relapsing intestinal inflammatory disorder. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death in patients with IBD, with elevated risks of myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke, and venous thromboembolism that are independent of traditional risk factors. Disease activity and histological inflammation independently predict major adverse cardiovascular events, and Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis differ in cardiovascular risk profiles. This residual risk points to immune mechanisms that remain unclear. Trained immunity (TI), an innate immune memory induced by epigenetic and metabolic reprogramming, may link chronic intestinal inflammation to cardiovascular injury. This review integrates epidemiological and mechanistic evidence, outlines cardiovascular risk features in IBD, examines the molecular basis of TI and its roles in atherosclerosis, myocardial injury, and heart failure, and evaluates candidate biomarkers and targeted therapeutic strategies. We also discuss current limitations and challenges in clinical translation and propose future research directions, to inform mechanistic studies and clinical interventions for IBD-associated CVD.
SN - 1664-3224
ER -