Severe complications of inflammatory bowel disease

Ozanimod-exposed Patients with Ulcerative Colitis Undergoing Total Colectomy Exhibit Unique Lymph Node Histological Changes

INTRODUCTION

Ozanimod regulates lymphocyte egress from the spleen and lymph nodes into the systemic circulation. The histological changes which occur in the lymph nodes of patients on ozanimod is unknown.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This retrospective study included patients with ulcerative colitis [UC] undergoing total colectomy for treatment-refractory disease who received ozanimod, and a cohort of patients with UC undergoing colectomy who did not have ozanimod exposure. Histology of the lymph nodes from the mesentery of colectomy specimens was reviewed and multiple features were scored by experienced pathologists.

RESULTS

Six [13%] ozanimod-treated patients with UC required surgery for treatment-refractory disease. Colectomy specimen data were available for five patients [one patient had surgery at an outside centre]. Lymph node specimens from six control patients with UC who had colectomy were examined. Histological examination of lymph nodes showed that patients treated with ozanimod had significantly greater extent of dilated sinuses [p = 0.03] and greater degrees of sinus histiocytosis [p = 0.03] compared with control patients. In addition, there was a trend towards more Castleman-like angiotrophic hyperplasia, plasma cell infiltration, and subcortical interfollicular expansion in ozanimod-treated patients.

CONCLUSION

This study identifies unique histological changes in the lymph nodes of patients with UC treated with ozanimod. The presence of sinus histiocytosis and dilated sinuses is in keeping with the known mechanism of action of ozanimod, and suggests that blocking lymphocyte egression from lymph nodes was insufficient to ameliorate disease severity in these patients. The possibility of Castleman-like features, identified in several of the cases, needs to be further investigated.

Real World Clinical Effectiveness and Safety of Ozanimod in the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis: 1-Year Follow-Up from a Tertiary Center

BACKGROUND

Ozanimod is a first-in-class Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulator approved for the treatment of moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC). Real world data describing use of ozanimod are limited.

AIM

To provide 1-year follow-up results of our UC patient cohort treated with ozanimod.

METHODS

This prospective, observational cohort study includes consecutive patients who initiated ozanimod at the University of Chicago IBD Center between 5/2021 and 12/2022. We collected demographic, clinical, and laboratory data. Clinical disease activity was prospectively assessed using the Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index.

RESULTS

Forty-five patients with UC initiated ozanimod therapy and were included in the effectiveness analysis. The median age was 35 years (interquartile range (IQR) 28-52), median disease duration of 6 years (IQR 3-13), 26 (58%) were male, 23 (51%) had extensive colitis, 34 (76%) had previous advanced therapy exposure. Thirty-four patients had clinically active UC at the time of ozanimod initiation; week 10 clinical response and remission rates were 58% and 53%, respectively. By week 52, the rates were 25% for both clinical response and remission. In the 12 (39%) patients with a > 75% reduction in absolute lymphocyte count, numerically greater induction clinical response and remission rates were observed (80% vs 54%, p = 0.4 and 75% vs 53%, p = 0.4, respectively). There were no episodes of symptomatic bradycardia and no other new safety signals.

CONCLUSION

Ozanimod effectively induced clinical response and remission patients with largely treatment refractory UC, however, had modest long-term effectiveness. The safety profile was favorable with no new signals.

The association between inflammatory bowel disease and all-cause and cause-specific mortality in the UK Biobank

PURPOSE

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has a rising global prevalence. However, the understanding of its impact on mortality remains inconsistent so we explored the association between IBD and all-cause and cause-specific mortality.

METHODS

This study included 502,369 participants from the UK Biobank, a large, population-based, prospective cohort study with mortality data through 2022. IBD was defined by baseline self-report or from primary care or hospital admission data. We estimated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for all-cause and cause-specific mortality in multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models.

RESULTS

A total of 5799 (1.2%) participants had a history of IBD at baseline. After a median follow-up of 13.7 years, 44,499 deaths occurred. Having IBD was associated with an increased risk of death from all causes (HR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.07-1.24) and cancer (HR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.05-1.30), particularly colorectal cancer (CRC) (HR = 1.56, 95% CI = 1.17-2.09). We observed elevated breast cancer mortality rates for individuals with Crohn's disease, and increased CRC mortality rates for individuals with ulcerative colitis. In stratified analyses of IBD and all-cause mortality, mortality risk differed by individuals' duration of IBD, age at IBD diagnosis, body mass index (BMI) (PHeterogeneity = 0.03) and smoking status (PHeterogeneity = 0.01). Positive associations between IBD and all-cause mortality were detected in individuals diagnosed with IBD for 10 years or longer, those diagnosed before the age of 50, all BMI subgroups except obese individuals, and in never or current, but not former smokers.

CONCLUSIONS

We found that having IBD was associated with increased risks of mortality from all causes, all cancers, and CRC. This underscores the importance of enhanced patient management strategies and targeted prevention efforts in individuals with IBD.

The Impact of Incarceration on Readmissions Among Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease Hospitalized at a Community Hospital

Background and Aims

Individuals who are incarcerated often have limited access to first-line treatment and comprehensive health care. In this study, we aimed to compare the frequency of readmissions among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) receiving care at a community hospital who were and were not incarcerated at the time of hospitalization.

Methods

We analyzed records from Lemuel Shattuck Hospital for all patients admitted between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2019. Patients with IBD were identified using International Classification of Diseases codes. The primary outcome was all-cause readmission at 1 year following an IBD-related admission. Secondary outcomes were (1) all-cause readmission at 30 days, (2) IBD-related readmission at 30 days, and (3) IBD-related readmission at 1 year. Our indicator of interest was incarceration. Multivariable logistic regression models were built to describe predictors of all-cause readmissions at 1 year.

Results

Among the 6511 individuals hospitalized at Lemuel Shattuck Hospital between 2011 and 2019, 90 individuals (1.4%) had International Classification of Diseases codes for IBD, either ulcerative colitis (n = 44) and/or Crohn's disease (n = 39). Half (n = 46) of patients with IBD were incarcerated during hospital admission. Individuals who were incarcerated had a higher rate of all-cause readmissions at 1 year than those who were not incarcerated at the time of hospitalization (76.0% vs 41.5%, P = .005). Multivariable analysis showed patients who were incarcerated had 3.98 (95% confidence interval: 1.39-12.78) increased odds of all-cause readmission within 1 year.

Conclusion

Our results suggest individuals with IBD who are incarcerated may experience worse health outcomes than individuals who are not incarcerated, adding to a body of literature documenting the negative impact of incarceration on health.

A Mixed-methods Assessment of the Impact of Insurance Issues on the Emotional and Physical Health of Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

BACKGROUND

In patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), failure to adhere to treatment regimens due to insurance issues can lead to disease complications. Our aim was to examine patients' perceptions of the impact of insurance issues on their health.

METHODS

Twenty-nine patients with IBD at a large US academic center and an insurance issue participated in a mixed-methods study. Retrospective chart review and an online questionnaire were completed to collect demographic information, IBD characteristics, and validated resilience scores. Semistructured interviews were completed for insurance experiences, which were coded independently by 2 coders for themes.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine patients completed the interview, and 24 completed the online survey. Sixteen had Crohn's disease, 13 had ulcerative colitis, and 66% were female. The most common insurance issue was lapsed insurance. Many experienced physical consequences, with 58% having flares, 14% undergoing surgery, and 14% developing antibodies. All emotional responses were negative, with the majority feeling stressed (38%). Providers were uninformed of insurance issues in 28% of cases. When asked about perceived resilience, 41% felt incapable of managing the situation, and 45% gave up trying to solve the problem. When asked how to improve going forward, 38% requested an easily accessible advocate to guide them.

CONCLUSIONS

A large proportion of our cohort chose not to inform their provider, felt incapable of managing on their own, and gave up on resolving their insurance issue. This highlights the need to consider restructuring the insurance system, to identify those at risk for insurance issues, and to make advocates available to avoid devastating consequences.

Factors associated with poor compliance amongst hospitalized, predominantly adolescent pediatric Crohn's disease patients

BACKGROUND

Compliance with medical treatment is vital for the control of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and prevention of disease complications and is an issue in paediatric patients. We explored patient-related factors associated with non-compliance in a large database of predominantly adolescent, hospitalized paediatric Crohn's disease (CD) patients.

PATIENTS/MATERIALS AND METHODS

We analyzed data from the Kid's Inpatient Database (KID) the largest publicly available all-payer paediatric inpatient care database in the United States. All available paediatric CD patients non-electively admitted in 2016 were included. CD patients were extracted using the standard international classification of diseases (ICD) 10 codes. Data suggesting non-compliance, comorbidities and surgical procedures related to CD were similarly extracted.

RESULTS

2439 paediatric CD patients with non-elective admission were included in the analysis. 2 280 patients (94%) were adolescents. Of the total cohort, 113 patients (4.6%) had a diagnosis of non-compliance. In univariate analyses, smoking (15.9 vs. 5.5%, p < .001), cannabis use (5.3 vs 1.5%, p = .009), and a diagnosis of depression (19.5 vs. 9%, p = .001) or schizoaffective disorder (5.3 vs 0.3%, p < .001) were associated with non-compliance. Multivariable analysis revealed that schizoaffective disorder (odds ratio (OR) 11.6, 95% CI 3.6-37.2), depression (OR 1.9, 95%CI 1.2-3.2) and smoking (OR 2.2, 95%CI 1.25-4) were independently associated with non-compliance.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, mental health disorders and smoking were independently associated with non-compliance to medication in predominantly adolescent, hospitalized paediatric CD patients. A multidisciplinary approach involving paediatric gastroenterologists, psychiatrists and addiction specialists are needed to treat the underlying causes and improve adherence in these patients.KEY MESSAGESMental health disorders and smoking are independent risk factors for medication non-compliance amongst adolescent, paediatric CD patients.A multidisciplinary approach is required to treat underlying causes and improve adherence in paediatric IBD patients.

Abdominal hernia mesh repair in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: A systematic review

Background

Postoperative hernia-repair complications are frequent in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This fact challenges surgeons’ decision about hernia mesh management in these patients. Therefore, we systematically reviewed the hernia mesh repair in IBD patients with emphasis on risk factors for postoperative complications.

Method

A systematic review was done in compliance with the PRISMA guidelines. A search was carried out on PubMed and ScienceDirect databases. English language articles published from inception to October 2021 were included in this study. MERSQI scores were applied along with evidence grades in agreement with GRADE’s recommendations. The research protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021247185).

Results

The present systematic search resulted in 11,243 citations with a final inclusion of 10 citations. One paper reached high and 4 moderate quality. Patients with IBD exhibit about 27% recurrence after hernia repair. Risk factors for overall abdominal septic morbidity in Crohn’s disease comprised enteroprosthetic fistula, mesh withdrawals, surgery duration, malnutrition biological mesh, and gastrointestinal concomitant procedure.

Conclusion

Patients with IBD were subject, more so than controls to postoperative complications and hernia recurrence. The use of a diversity of mesh types, a variety of position techniques, and several surgical choices in the citations left room for less explicit and more implicit inferences as regards best surgical option for hernia repair in patients with IBD.

IBDoc Canadian User Performance Evaluation

BACKGROUND

Fecal calprotectin (FC) is a stool biomarker that has been shown to be sensitive and specific for mucosal inflammation in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The test is limited by the requirement for patients to collect and return stool samples. A home-based FC test may improve test adherence. The aim of this study is to evaluate the usability of the IBDoc, a home-based FC measuring test, and to determine the accuracy of results compared with traditional lab-based ELISA values.

METHODS

Patients were prospectively enrolled from 3 tertiary sites across Canada between May and August 2017. Patients completed a questionnaire establishing ease-of-use of the IBDoc. Patients completed a FC measurement using the IBDoc, and results were compared with an ELISA-determined FC measurement on the same stool sample.

RESULTS

Sixty-one participants were enrolled in the study (29 CD, 32 UC). Seventy-nine percent of patients (48 of 61) agreed that the IBDoc was easy to use, with 85% (52 of 61) of patients strongly agreeing that they were willing use the home kit in the future. The IBDoc and ELISA measurement comparison showed an 88% agreement across all values. There were no false positives or negatives using qualitative comparison.

CONCLUSIONS

The home-based IBDoc FC measuring test is acceptable to patients and correlates extremely well with the standard ELISA-determined FC value. The IBDoc enables clinicians to more easily adopt a treat-to-target approach, improve long-term outcomes, and patients' quality of life with IBD. This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT03408249.

Wilson's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis in the Same Patient: Just A Coincidence? A Case Report and Literature Review

Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is a chronic relapsing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Wilson’s disease (WD) is a disorder of copper (Cu) metabolism due to inherited mutations in a gene encoding a putative Cu-transporting P-type ATPase, with a heterogeneous clinical presentation that includes hepatic, neurological, or psychiatric symptoms. The case of a 17-year-old female that presented with severe liver failure, three years after UC onset, and in which diagnosis of WD was established is reported. We review the literature and discuss the possible association between the two rare diseases. Although evidence of a common genetic background between UC and WD has not been described, high Cu serum level is present in both diseases. Cu is one of the trace elements necessary for antioxidant defenses during inflammatory processes, affecting the production of free radicals of oxygen and the levels of cellular antioxidants. The presence of both entities in the same patient may suggest abnormal metabolism of Cu or be just a coincidence.

Pulmonary diseases associated with inflammatory bowel diseases

Among the extra-intestinal manifestations of inflammatory bowel diseases, those involving the lung are relatively rare. However, there is a wide array of such manifestations, spanning from drug-related pathologies to airway disease, fistulas, granulomatous diseases, autoimmune and thromboembolic disorders. Although infrequent, people dealing with inflammatory bowel diseases must be aware of these conditions, sometimes life-threatening, to avoid further impairment of the health status of the patients and to alleviate their symptoms by prompt recognition and treatment.

Serologic markers: impact on early diagnosis and disease stratification in inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is difficult to diagnose, and differentiating between ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) can be challenging. Overlapping symptoms of UC and CD often delay diagnosis, despite availability of endoscopic, radiologic, and histologic tools. This delay in diagnosis is quite common in clinical practice, which may also delay initiation of appropriate treatment. Abnormal immune responses found in IBD have led to the use of serum biomarkers (eg, anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody [ASCA], perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody [pANCA], antibodies to flagellin [anti-CBir1]) to improve diagnostic confidence in IBD. These biomarkers are beginning to be used to stratify patients with UC and CD according to disease phenotype and risk of complications. Associations between quantity and quality of immune reactivity and severe disease phenotypes are increasingly evident. This suggests that serologic panels of multiple IBD biomarkers can be used to identify the relative risk of progression to complicated disease behaviors, and that this information may ultimately impact therapeutic decisions. This review discusses the diagnostic process and challenges in IBD, with emphasis on the role that serologic markers may play in addressing these challenges.

Dietary factors in chronic inflammation: food tolerances and intolerances of a New Zealand Caucasian Crohn's disease population

Diet is known to play a major role in the symptoms of the inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease (CD). Although no single diet is appropriate to all individuals, most CD patients are aware of foods that provide adverse or beneficial effects. This study seeks to categorise foods in relation to their effects on symptoms of CD, in a New Zealand Caucasian population. Four hundred and forty-six subjects from two different centres in New Zealand were recruited into the study. An extensive dietary questionnaire (257 food items in 15 groups) recorded self-reported dietary tolerances and intolerances. Across each of the food groups, there were statistically significant differences among responses to foods. A two-dimensional graphical summary enabled stratification of foods according to the probability that they will be either beneficial or detrimental. A small number of foods are frequently considered to be beneficial, including white fish, salmon and tuna, gluten-free products, oatmeal, bananas, boiled potatoes, sweet potatoes (kumara), pumpkin, soya milk, goat's milk and yoghurt. Foods that are typically considered detrimental include grapefruit, chilli or chilli sauce, corn and corn products, peanuts, cream, salami, curried foods, cola drinks, high energy drinks, beer, and red wine. For a number of the food items, the same item that was beneficial for one group of subjects was detrimental to others; in particular soya milk, goat's milk, yoghurt, oatmeal, kiwifruit, prunes, apple, broccoli, cauliflower, linseed, pumpkin seed, sunflower seed, ginger and ginger products, beef, lamb, liver, and oily fish. It was not possible to identify a specific group of food items that should be avoided by all CD patients. The wide range of detrimental items suggests that dietary maintenance of remission is likely to be difficult, and to exclude a substantial number of foods. Personalised diets may be especially important to these individuals.