Association between carotid intima-media thickness and ulcerative colitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Early detection of atherosclerosis is an essential means of decreasing cardiovascular events and its associated mortality. Systemic inflammatory diseases such as ulcerative colitis (UC), are thought to be a contributing factor to atherosclerosis due to the rise of inflammatory cytokines.

Objective: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the association between atherosclerosis and UC.