Epidemiologische Forschung und Behandlungsdatenanalyse zu chronisch-entzündlichen Darmerkrankungen: Verbesserung der Versorgung von Kindern und Jugendlichen

The microbiome landscape in pediatric Crohn's disease and therapeutic implications

Dysbiosis of the gut microbiome and a pathological immune response in intestinal tissues form the basis of Crohn's disease (CD), which is a debilitating disease with relevant morbidity and mortality. It is increasing in childhood and adolescents, due to western life-style and nutrition and a large set of predisposing genetic factors. Crohn's disease-associated genetic mutations play an essential role in killing pathogens, altering mucosal barrier function, and protecting the host microbiome, suggesting an important pathogenic link. The intestinal microbiome is highly variable and can be influenced by environmental factors. Changes in microbial composition and a reduction in species diversity have been shown to be central features of disease progression and are therefore the target of therapeutic approaches. In this review, we summarize the current literature on the role of the gut microbiome in childhood, adolescent, and adult CD, current therapeutic options, and their impact on the microbiome.

How can patient registries facilitate guideline-based healthcare? A retrospective analysis of the CEDATA-GPGE registry for pediatric inflammatory bowel disease

BACKGROUND

Early diagnosis is mandatory for the medical care of children and adolescents with pediatric-onset inflammatory bowel disease (PIBD). International guidelines ('Porto criteria') of the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition recommend medical diagnostic procedures in PIBD. Since 2004, German and Austrian pediatric gastroenterologists document diagnostic and treatment data in the patient registry CEDATA-GPGE on a voluntary basis. The aim of this retrospective study was to analyze whether the registry CEDATA-GPGE reflects the Porto criteria and to what extent diagnostic measures of PIBD according to the Porto criteria are documented.

METHODS

Data of CEDATA-GPGE were analyzed for the period January 2014 to December 2018. Variables representing the Porto criteria for initial diagnostic were identified and categorized. The average of the number of measures documented in each category was calculated for the diagnoses CD, UC, and IBD-U. Differences between the diagnoses were tested by Chi-square test. Data on possible differences between data documented in the registry and diagnostic procedures that were actually performed were obtained via a sample survey.

RESULTS

There were 547 patients included in the analysis. The median age of patients with incident CD (n = 289) was 13.6 years (IQR: 11.2-15.2), of patients with UC (n = 212) 13.1 years (IQR: 10.4-14.8) and of patients with IBD-U (n = 46) 12.2 years (IQR: 8.6-14.7). The variables identified in the registry fully reflect the recommendations by the Porto criteria. Only the disease activity indices PUCAI and PCDAI were not directly provided by participants but calculated from obtained data. The category 'Case history' were documented for the largest part (78.0%), the category 'Imaging of the small bowel' were documented least frequently (39.1%). In patients with CD, the categories 'Imaging of the small bowel' (χ² = 20.7, Cramer-V = 0.2, p < 0.001) and 'Puberty stage' (χ² = 9.8, Cramer-V = 0.1, p < 0.05) were documented more often than in patients with UC and IBD-U.

CONCLUSION

The registry fully reproduces the guideline's recommendations for the initial diagnosis of PIBD. The proportion of documented diagnostic examinations varied within the diagnostic categories and between the diagnoses. Despite technological innovations, time and personnel capacities at participating centers and study center are necessary to ensure reliable data entry and to enable researchers to derive important insights into guideline-based care.

Implementation of exclusive enteral nutrition in pediatric patients with Crohn’s disease—results of a survey of CEDATA-GPGE reporting centers

Background

Exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) is the first-line therapy for pediatric-onset Crohn’s disease (CD) patients. CEDATA-GPGE® is the largest patient registry for children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Europe, collecting data from over 5000 patients since 2004 in Germany and Austria. Since the application of EEN over 8 weeks is difficult and a high dropout rate is often described, the mode of application including a supporting structure is crucial for success. The aim of this study was to ascertain the variation in the application of EEN across the participating centers and to associate these with the outcome.

Results

Thirty-one centers responded to the survey (81.6%). 88.5% of CD patients were recommended EEN for induction therapy, 71.8% actually started with EEN, and 22.1% terminated the EEN prematurely. The duration of EEN typically lasted 6 to 8 weeks, and the polymeric formula was mainly used. 80.6% of the clinics added flavorings to the formulas. After EEN, the most preferred diet for maintenance therapy was a healthy, well-balanced diet considering individual intolerances.

Conclusions

EEN is widely recommended as an induction therapy by the German and Austrian pediatric gastroenterologists for children and adolescents with CD. However, this questionnaire-based study has shown a wide variation in EEN protocols used by the different pediatric clinics of CEDATA-GPGE®.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40348-022-00139-x.