Medical treatment of Crohn's disease

Health outcomes and cost-effectiveness of certolizumab pegol in the treatment of Crohn's disease

Crohn's disease (CD) causes chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract and leads to fluctuations between active disease and remission. Certolizumab pegol is one of the newer biological treatments for patients with moderate-to-severe CD. Certolizumab pegol was shown to be effective in CD patients achieving response and remission in both randomized and non-randomized studies, and is an alternative biological treatment for CD. The available data show that certolizumab pegol achieves similar therapeutic efficacy and health-related quality of life scores in CD patients as the other biological agents, but at a higher cost, if dose escalation of other biologics is not considered. Considering subcutaneous self-administration, and lower number and frequency of injections, patients may prefer certolizumab pegol over the other biological treatments.

Do anti-tumor necrosis factors induce response and remission in patients with acute refractory Crohn's disease? A systematic meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials

To determine whether anti-tumor necrosis factors induce clinical response and remission in patients with Crohn's disease, PUBMED, OVID, and SCOPUS databases were searched for studies investigated the efficacy of anti-tumor necrosis factors on CD. Data were collected from 1966 to 2005 (up to 31 December). Types of outcome investigated were response (decrease in CDAI score >/=70 points) and remission (CDAI score </=150 points) 2 and 4 weeks after drug administration. The criteria for inclusion of studies in this analysis were exposure of patients with CD to any therapeutic dosage of any anti-tumor necrosis factors (infliximab, cetrolizumab, CDP870, CDP571, etanercept, onarcept). The results showed that anti-tumor necrosis factors have improved only clinical response 2 weeks after administration of these drugs statistically, but their effects on clinical remission after 2 weeks and response and remission after 4 weeks have not been significant. It seems that anti-tumor necrosis factors are not effective for induction of response and remission in patients with Crohn's disease.

Ileum resection is the most predictive factor for osteoporosis in patients with Crohn's disease

INTRODUCTION

Crohn's disease is associated with a host of factors potentially increasing the risk for osteoporosis and fractures. The aim of our study was to identify the most predictive factors for skeletal pathology in this patients.

METHODS

Using a cross-sectional study design, 146 randomly selected patients with Crohn's disease of variable disease activity who were given standard therapy to control disease activity, including glucocorticoids, and who attended the outpatient clinic of the Gastroenterology Unit on regular follow-up visits were studied. Bone mineral density (BMD) measurements and lateral X-rays of the spine were performed, and biochemical parameters of bone turnover, gonadal hormones and C-reactive protein (CRP) as markers of disease activity were measured in all patients.

RESULTS

There were 61 men and 85 women, with a mean age of 43 years and mean disease duration of 20 years. The majority of patients (86%) had been treated with glucocorticoids at some stage during their illness at a median dose of 7.5 mg/day, 43% were currently using these agents and 66% had undergone an intestinal resection. Twenty-one percent of patients had below-normal 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels. Osteoporosis was documented in 26% of patients, predominantly at the femoral neck, but also at the lumbar spine or at both sites; osteopenia was documented in 45% of patients. Prevalence of vertebral and non-vertebral fractures was, respectively, 6% and 12%. Ileum resection was the most predictive factor for osteoporosis: RR 3.84 (CI 1.24-9.77, p=0.018), followed by age: RR 1.05 (CI 1.02-1.08, p<0.001) and current or past glucocorticoid use: RR 1.94 (CI 0.92-4.10, p=0.08).

CONCLUSION

Our data suggest that in patients with Crohn's disease, the risk of osteoporosis is best predicted by a history of ileum resection.

Refractory Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Therapeutic options for refractory colonic inflammation in patients with ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease have recently been expanded with the introduction of biologic therapies. Intravenous corticosteroids and cyclosporine A remain the standard therapies for severe ulcerative colitis. Monoclonal antibodies directed at tumor necrosis factor-a have proven to be exceptionally efficacious in patients with severe or refractory Crohn's disease. Immunomodulatory therapy with azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine, or methotrexate has demonstrated efficacy for maintenance of remission in patients with refractory ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease. The use of experimental biologic agents may be considered for those patients who fail to respond to or remain dependent on corticosteroids. Surgical intervention still remains for patients with severe colitis who fail to respond to medical therapy or develop life-threatening complications such as perforation or toxic megacolon.

General principles of medical therapy of inflammatory bowel disease

Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are chronic gastrointestinal diseases that affect patients in the prime of their lives. Because inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients generally live a normal lifespan, chronic medical therapy for IBD must be tolerable, simple to adhere to, and have as few side effects as possible. This article discusses the impact of IBD on quality of life and stresses the importance of appropriate and individualized medical therapy. To help clinicians determine the efficacy of particular IBD medications, this article offers a brief, practical interpretation of clinical, endoscopic, and quality-of-life end points used in clinical trials. Finally, it provides a summary of the current accepted medical therapies for ulcerative colitis adn Crohn's disease and recommendations for using these medications in clinical practice.