Common multiple sclerosis treatment linked to bowel disease risk
A large population-based study from Sweden indicates that multiple sclerosis patients treated with rituximab have a higher relative risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease compared to other treatments. While the risk is significantly higher, the absolute risk remains low at under 2%.
Why it matters
This finding helps neurologists weigh the benefits of common MS therapies against potential long-term gastrointestinal side effects.
edited by Gaby Clark , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add to Preferred Sources Crude and Adjusted Survival Curves for Time to Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Stratified by Exposure Group. Credit: JAMA Neurology (2026). DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2026.3439 People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are treated with rituximab have an increased risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease, particularly Crohn's disease, although the absolute risk remains low. This is according to the first large population-based study in the field, led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and published in JAMA Neurology .
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