Current therapy of ulcerative colitis in children

Vaccination of the immunocompromised child

The development of vaccination is a major achievement in modern medicine. However, children treated with immunosuppression may not at all, or only in part, receive routine immunization due to uncertainty of its risks and effect. There is a substantial lack of pediatric studies concerning the efficacy and safety of vaccination in this patient group. Experience from similar adult groups and children with HIV infection can be used as a model for other disease categories. With increasing knowledge of the immunologic basis of vaccination and how immunosuppressive drugs interfere with the immune system, improved vaccines could be tailored, and adequate, individualized guidelines issued.

Systematic review of the evidence base for the medical treatment of paediatric inflammatory bowel disease

OBJECTIVE

To systematically review the evidence base for the medical (pharmaceutical and nutritional) treatment of paediatric inflammatory bowel disease.

METHODS

Key clinical questions were formulated regarding different treatment modalities used in the treatment of paediatric (not adult-onset) IBD, in particular the induction and maintenance of remission in Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis. Electronic searches were performed from January 1966 to December 2006, using the electronic search strategy of the Cochrane IBD group. Details of papers were entered on a dedicated database, reviewed in abstract form, and disseminated in full for appraisal. Clinical guidelines were appraised using the AGREE instrument and all other relevant papers were appraised using Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network methodology, with evidence levels given to all papers.

RESULTS

A total of 6285 papers were identified, of which 1255 involved children; these were entered on the database. After critical appraisal, only 103 publications met our criteria as evidence on medical treatment of paediatric IBD. We identified 3 clinical guidelines, 1 systematic review, and 16 randomised controlled trials; all were of variable quality, with none getting the highest methodological scores.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first comprehensive review of the evidence base for the treatment of paediatric IBD, highlighting the paucity of trials of high methodological quality. As a result, the development of clinical guidelines for managing children and young people with IBD must be consensus based, informed by the best-available evidence from the paediatric literature and high-quality data from the adult IBD literature, together with the clinical expertise and multidisciplinary experience of paediatric IBD experts.

Safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of balsalazide in pediatric patients with mild-to-moderate active ulcerative colitis: results of a randomized, double-blind study

OBJECTIVES

: A multicenter, double-blind study was conducted to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of balsalazide in pediatric patients with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis (UC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

: Sixty-eight patients, 5 to 17 years of age, with mild-to-moderate active UC based on the modified Sutherland UC activity index (MUCAI) were randomized to receive oral balsalazide 2.25 or 6.75 g/day for 8 weeks. The primary endpoint was clinical improvement (reduction of the MUCAI score by > or =3 points from baseline). Clinical remission (MUCAI score of 0 or 1 for stool frequency) and histological improvement after 8 weeks were also assessed. Pharmacokinetic parameters for balsalazide, 5-aminosalicylic acid, and N-acetyl-5-aminosalicylic acid were determined at 2 weeks. Adverse events and laboratory changes were monitored throughout the study.

RESULTS

: Clinical improvement was achieved by 45% and 37% of patients and clinical remission by 12% and 9% of patients receiving 6.75 and 2.25 g/day, respectively. Improvement in histologic grade was achieved by 8 of 16 (50%) and 3 of 10 (30%) patients receiving 6.75 and 2.25 g/day, respectively. No significant differences were seen in efficacy. Pharmacokinetics in 12 patients were characterized by large interpatient variability and low systemic exposure. Adverse events were similar between the treatment groups, the most common being headache and abdominal pain. No clinically significant changes were observed in laboratory values, including those indicative of hepatic or renal toxicity.

CONCLUSIONS

: Balsalazide is well tolerated and improves the signs and symptoms of mild-to-moderate active UC in pediatric patients 5 to 17 years of age.

Impact of disease activity on resting energy expenditure in children with inflammatory bowel disease

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Exclusive enteral nutrition is used as primary therapy in Crohn's disease. Nutrition support is frequently required in children with both Crohn's disease and Ulcerative Colitis when acutely unwell and during periods of recovery. There is considerable controversy about nutritional needs during phases of active and inactive disease. It is, for example, often assumed that in acute illness a child requires increased nutritional support however the precise relationship between illness severity and energy expenditure is uncertain. This study explores the relationship between disease activity and resting energy expenditure (REE) in children with inflammatory bowel disease.

METHODS

Patients were recruited from the regional paediatric gastroenterology unit at Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust. Disease activity was assessed using standard scoring systems (Paediatric Crohn's Disease Activity Index; Simple Colitis Activity Index) and biochemical markers of inflammation (C-Reactive Protein, CRP). Fat free mass was estimated from skinfold thickness and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis. Resting energy expenditure was measured by indirect calorimetry. A logarithmic correction and a linear regression model were used for analysis of REE corrected for body size.

RESULTS

55 children were studied; 37 (67%) with Crohn's disease and 18 (33%) with Ulcerative Colitis. Median PCDAI was 10 (range 0-60), 22 (59%) had PCDAI > or =10 (active disease). Median SCAI was 1.5 (range 0-12). Within disease groups there were strong correlations between REE/KgFFM(0.52) and disease activity; PCDAI (r -0.386, p 0.018) in Crohn's disease and SCAI (r -0.456, p 0.057) in Ulcerative Colitis. In the cohort as a whole there was no increase in REE/KgFFM(0.52) with increasing CRP (r 0.129, p 0.361). Using the regression model each mg/l increase in CRP was associated with a reduction in REE of nearly 1.5 kCal/day.

CONCLUSIONS

We were unable to demonstrate a significant relationship between REE and disease activity in children with inflammatory bowel disease.

Outcome of childhood ulcerative colitis at 2 years

AIM

Ulcerative Colitis (UC) has an incidence of 1.4 per 100,000 in childhood. There is a paucity of data regarding outcome particularly with the increased use of early immunosuppression. This study reviews outcome at 2 years in a cohort with UC referred to a single centre.

METHOD

Patients were recruited on the basis of a diagnosis made between 2000 and 2003 as a consecutive cohort. All had UC according to standard clinicopathological criteria. Children with indeterminate colitis were excluded. Follow-up data was collected at 2 years by case notes review.

RESULTS

Thirty-two children are reported. The median age at diagnosis was 11 years (range 2-16). All were treated with corticosteroids and 5-ASA derivatives at diagnosis. The majority of patients (94%, 30/32) received more than one course of steroids. By 2 years azathioprine use was high with 75% (24/32) of patients on treatment for steroid-dependent disease. There were 6 extra-intestinal manifestations and 8 disease related complications occurring in 12 patients (38%). The colectomy rate was 9% (3/32) for unresponsive disease.

CONCLUSION

There is a high need for Azathioprine in childhood UC. Colectomy rate at 2 years was around 10%. Extra-intestinal manifestations and disease related complications are common.

Drug-resistant bullous pemphigoid and inflammatory bowel disease in a pediatric case successfully treated by plasma exchange and extracorporeal photochemotherapy

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune skin disease that occurs mainly in elderly patients; onset of BP is rare in childhood. Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), by contrast, have a pediatric onset in 25% of presenting cases, requiring expert multidisciplinary management. Here we report a pediatric case of IBD (involving stomach, duodenum, ileum, and colon-rectum) associated with a disseminated form of drug-resistant BP successfully treated by plasma exchange (PEX), extracorporeal photochemotherapy (ECP), and corticosteroid therapy. The addition of PEX and ECP to standard treatment induced no severe side effects, prompted a rapidly achieved complete and long-term remission, and allowed dose tapering of the immunosuppressive drugs over an 18-month follow-up.

Update in the treatment of paediatric ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative colitis is an important disease in the paediatric population. Ulcerative colitis is one of the chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, and is medically incurable. However, the arsenal of medications has grown as knowledge of the pathogenesis of this disease advances. This review looks at the classical treatments for children with ulcerative colitis, including the 5-aminosalicylates, corticosteroids and imunomodulators, as well as biological therapy and other, newer modalities.

Inflammatory bowel disease

Twenty five per cent of inflammatory bowel disease presents in childhood. Growth and nutrition are key issues in the management with the aim of treatment being to induce and then maintain disease remission with minimal side effects. Only 25% of Crohn's disease presents with the classic triad of abdominal pain, weight loss, and diarrhoea. Most children with ulcerative colitis have blood in the stool at presentation. Inflammatory markers are usually although not invariably raised at presentation (particularly in Crohn's disease). Full investigation includes upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and ileocolonoscopy. Treatment requires multidisciplinary input as part of a clinical network led by a paediatrician with special expertise in the management of the condition.

Synbiotic therapy: a promising new adjunctive therapy for ulcerative colitis

Prebiotic and probiotic therapies are new strategies being used to treat gastrointestinal diseases. Recent evidence suggests that the administration of select prebiotics and probiotics, alone or in combination (the latter called "synbiotic" therapy) may improve the clinical outcome of patients with ulcerative colitis. We report a case of a pediatric ulcerative colitis patient who showed increased length of remission, resolution of symptoms, and improved quality of life following the administration of synbiotic therapy. The literature supporting the use of prebiotic, probiotic, and synbiotic therapies in adult ulcerative colitis is also reviewed.