Introduction Whilst there is a growing body of data supporting the increased risk of colo-rectal cancer in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, little has been written about the overall mortality and cause of death seen in patients with this condition.

Objective To assess the death rate and cause of death in our cohort of IBD patients.

Methods A database of all known local IBD patients was established after retrospectively reviewing 37,000 colonoscopy and flexible sigmoidoscopy reports performed at the Luton & Dunstable University Hospital between 2001 and 2011. Histological assessment was then used to cross correlate all patients diagnosed with colitis. The hospital coding officer analysed the database and provided details on all deaths within that cohort over the time period and the cause of death as listed by the hospital record system.

Results In total 2640 patients with IBD were identified and 186 (7%) of these died between 2001 and 2011. The average age of death was 80 years. The cause of death ranged considerably (see chart).

Conclusion The Office for National Statistics stated that in 2010 the average lifespan in England and Wales, for men and women, was 85 and 89 years, respectively. The life expectancy in Luton is slightly lower than the national average by approximately 2 years (Annual Public Health Report 2012–2013). The average age of death in our IBD cohort appears substantially lower than expected, with just 41 of the 186 (22%) being related to gastrointestinal causes. Infection (sepsis and pneumonia) appeared to be the single most common cause of mortality 60/186 (37.5%), raising questions about an iatrogenic contribution.

Disclosure of Interest None Declared.