Progress in the treatment and outcome of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease patients

Use of tumour necrosis factor-α inhibitors and the risk of serious infection in paediatric inflammatory bowel disease in Denmark: a nationwide cohort study

BACKGROUND

Studies have shown an association between use of tumour necrosis factor-α (TNFα) inhibitors and increased risk of serious infection in adult inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, data on this topic for paediatric patients are scarce and inconclusive. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is an association between the use of TNFα inhibitors and the risk of serious infection in children with IBD.

METHODS

In this nationwide Danish cohort study, we searched health registers (from Jan 1, 2007, to Dec 31, 2016) to identify episodes of children and adolescents (<18 years) with at least two recorded IBD diagnoses in specialist care. We categorised follow-up time in mutually exclusive episodes of incident TNFα inhibitor use or no TNFα inhibitor use from specialist care records. We used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate hazard ratios (HRs), adjusting using propensity score weighting for demographic characteristics, comorbidities, treatment history, health-care use, and indicators of disease severity. The primary outcome, incident serious infection, was defined as infection requiring a stay in hospital and was identified through hospital records.

FINDINGS

Among 2817 paediatric patients with IBD, we identified 618 episodes of incident TNFα inhibitor use and 2925 episodes of no TNFα inhibitor use. In the cohort of exposed and not exposed episodes that was propensity-score weighted, 53·9% were of male sex, the mean age was 15·1 (SD 1·7) years, 69·9% had Crohn's disease, and 30·1% had ulcerative colitis or IBD-unclassified; median follow-up was 1·4 years (IQR 0·4-3·0). The weighted incidence of serious infection was 54·6 events per 1000 patient-years for the TNFα inhibitor episodes and 61·9 events per 1000 patient-years for the no-use episodes. The weighted HR of serious infection associated with TNFα inhibitor use was 0·81 (95% CI 0·54-1·21).

INTERPRETATION

There was no significant association between use of TNFα inhibitors and the risk of serious infection in children with IBD, and, based on the upper bound of the confidence interval, a relatively small risk increase seems unlikely, contrary to previous findings in adults. Observational data such as these can support paediatric clinical practice.

FUNDING

Swedish Research Council, Frimurare Barnhuset Foundation, and the Åke Wiberg Foundation.

Pharmacological treatments and infectious diseases in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease

The incidence of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is rising, as is the employment of immunosuppressive and biological drugs. Most patients with IBD receive immunosuppressive therapies during the course of the disease. These molecules are a double-edged sword; while they can help control disease activity, they also increase the risk of infections. Therefore, it is important that pediatricians involved in primary care, pediatric gastroenterologists, and infectious disease physicians have a thorough knowledge of the infections that can affect patients with IBD. Areas covered: A broad review of the major infectious diseases that have been reported in children and adolescents with IBD was performed, and information regarding surveillance, diagnosis and management were updated. The possible correlations with IBD pharmacological tools are discussed. Expert commentary: Opportunistic infections are possible in pediatric IBD, and immunosuppressive and immunomodulator therapy seems to play a causative role. Heightened awareness and vigilant surveillance leading to prompt diagnosis and treatment are important for optimal management.

Treating children with inflammatory bowel disease: Current and new perspectives

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory condition of the gut characterised by alternating periods of remission and relapse. Whilst the mechanism underlying this disease is yet to be fully understood, old and newer generation treatments can only target selected pathways of this complex inflammatory process. This narrative review aims to provide an update on the most recent advances in treatment of paediatric IBD. A MEDLINE search was conducted using “paediatric inflammatory bowel disease”, “paediatric Crohn’s disease”, “paediatric ulcerative colitis”, “treatment”, “therapy”, “immunosuppressant”, “biologic”, “monitoring” and “biomarkers” as key words. Clinical trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses published between 2014 and 2016 were selected. Studies referring to earlier periods were also considered in case the data was relevant to our scope. Major advances have been achieved in monitoring the individual metabolism, toxicity and response to relevant medications in IBD including thiopurines and biologics. New biologics acting on novel mechanisms such as selective interference with lymphocyte trafficking are emerging treatment options. Current research is investing in the development of reliable prognostic biomarkers, aiming to move towards personalised treatments targeted to individual patients.