Are nurses at an increased risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease?

Nurses with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis were contacted through nursing journals in Britain, USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. They completed a postal questionnaire about age, place of diagnosis, nursing qualifications and duties, and the number of affected first-degree relatives. The results for each country were analysed separately and compared. 107 British nurses with Crohn's disease and 70 with ulcerative colitis completed the questionnaire. There was no significant difference between the occupational activities of nurses with Crohn's disease and those with ulcerative colitis. Similar results were obtained in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Nurses do not appear to be at an increased risk of developing Crohn's disease.