Earnings during adulthood in patients with childhood-onset inflammatory bowel disease: A nationwide population-based cohort study

Background IBD with onset during childhood seems to represent a severe disease phenotype with increased morbidity. We have previously demonstrated that children with IBD have significantly lower final grades in compulsory school compared to healthy peers. Aim To evaluate the association of childhood-onset IBD with a later professional career and subsequent earnings. Methods We identified 5404 individuals diagnosed with childhood-onset (<18 years) IBD between 1990 and 2014 (2818 with ulcerative colitis and 2818 with Crohn's disease) in the Swedish National Patient Register. Patients were matched with 10 general population reference individuals by sex, birth year, and place of residence (n = 51,295). Data on earnings during 1992-2017 were obtained through the longitudinal integration database for health insurance and labour market studies. Earnings were converted into Euros (inflation-adjusted to 2019). The differences in earnings between patients and general population reference individuals were calculated through quantile regression. Results Patients with childhood-onset IBD had significantly lower annual taxable earnings from ages 20 to 30 (adjusted median annual income difference (AMAID) at age 30: -5.4% [95% CI -9.1% to -1.8%]). In particular, annual taxable earnings through early adult age were lower in patients who, during childhood, had had surgery or long-term inpatient treatment for IBD (AMAID at age 30: -16.3% [95% CI -24.7% to -7.9%]). Conclusions Overall, the negative influence of disease on earnings in early adult age was modest for patients with childhood-onset IBD. The markedly larger negative income gap from ages 20 to 30 in patients with more severe IBD during childhood should be recognised.