The influence of stress, coping mechanisms and psychological symptoms on inflammatory bowel disease activity: A retrospective case-control analysis.

Background And Objectives: Psychological stress is widely recognized as a key factor that can initiate or aggravate symptoms in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This research was aimed at examining the influence of stressors, coping mechanisms and psychological symptoms on disease activity in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC).

Methods: A retrospective case-control research was performed with 138 patients diagnosed with IBD (76 with CD and 62 with UC).