This retrospective analysis finds nociplastic pain worsens quality of life in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, indicating significant healthcare impact.
Background: Nociplastic pain (NP) may cause persistent abdominal pain despite well-controlled inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Methods: Five-hundred patients with IBD were retrospectively classified as acute IBD-related pain, chronic IBD-related pain, or NP. Multivariable regression identified factors associated with NP and differences in healthcare use, symptoms, and quality of life (QoL). Results: NP occurred in 15% of IBD patients and was associated with female sex, anxiety, depression, and higher social vulnerability. NP patients had more healthcare use and poorer quality of life. Conclusions: NP is common in IBD and linked to psychosocial comorbidity, higher healthcare use, and reduced QoL.
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Sheehan et al. (2026) studied this question.
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