Evolution of the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease in Southern Spain

Probiotics as a Coadjuvant Factor in Active or Quiescent Inflammatory Bowel Disease of Adults-A Meta-Analytical Study

(1) Background: Inflammatory bowel diseases are pathologies of unknown etiology and auto-immune pathogenia. The use of probiotics is studied in order to increase the arsenal of treatments. The aim was to assess the efficacy of the probiotics in these diseases in the active or quiescent phases; (2) Methods: A systematic review with meta-analysis was performed by an exhaustive bibliographic search in Medline, Cinahl, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library. The inclusion criteria were studies of more than 10 years, English/Spanish, clinical trials, and involving human beings. Relative risk was used to compare efficacy, which was meta-analyzed using a fixed effects model. Heterogeneity was evaluated with the Higgins I² test; (3) Results: Nineteen studies were included in the systematic review and 17 in the meta-analysis, with a total of 1537 patients (n_{experimental group} = 762; n_{placebo group} = 775). There are significant remission differences in ulcerative colitis (relative risk (RR) = 0.81; 95% CI = 0.72–0.91; I² = 32%; p = 0.16). However, no significant differences were found in the use of probiotics for the prevention of ulcerative colitis, and for the remission of Crohn’s disease; (4) Conclusions: There are data showing an additional beneficial effect of probiotics on active ulcerative colitis. More and better studies are needed which assess its possible therapeutic efficacy for quiescent ulcerative colitis and for Crohn’s disease.

Population-Based Evidence From a Western Canadian Province of the Decreasing Incidence Rates and Trends of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Among Adults

Background and Aims

Canada has one of the highest inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) incidence rates worldwide. Higher IBD incidence rates have been identified among urban regions compared to rural regions. The study objectives were to (i) estimate IBD incidence rates in Saskatchewan from 1999 to 2016 and (ii) test for differences in IBD incidence rates for rural and urban regions of Saskatchewan.

Methods

A population-based study was conducted using provincial administrative health databases. Individuals aged 18+ years with newly diagnosed Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis were identified using a validated case definition. Generalized linear models with a negative binomial distribution were used to estimate incidence rates and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) adjusted for age group, sex and rurality with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results

The average annual incidence rate of IBD among adults in Saskatchewan decreased from 75/100,000 (95% CI 67 to 84) in 1999 to 15/100,000 (95% CI 12 to 18) population in 2016. The average annual incidence of IBD declined significantly by 6.9% (95% CI -7.6 to -6.2) per year. Urban residents had a greater overall risk of IBD (IRR = 1.19, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.27) than rural residents. This risk difference was statistically significant for Crohn's disease (IRR = 1.25, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.36), but not for ulcerative colitis (IRR = 1.08, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.19).

Conclusions

The incidence of IBD in Saskatchewan dropped significantly from 1999 to 2016 with urban dwellers having a 19% higher risk of IBD onset compared to their rural counterparts. Health care providers and decision-makers should plan IBD-specific health care programs considering these specific IBD rates.

EpidemIBD: rationale and design of a large-scale epidemiological study of inflammatory bowel disease in Spain

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with a considerable burden to the patient and society. However, current data on IBD incidence and burden are limited because of the paucity of nationwide epidemiological studies, heterogeneous designs, and a low number of participating centers and sample size. The EpidemIBD study is a large-scale investigation to provide an accurate assessment of the incidence of IBD in Spain, as well as treatment patterns and outcomes.

METHODS

This multicenter, population-based incidence cohort study included patients aged >18 years with IBD (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or unclassified IBD) diagnosed during 2017 in 108 hospitals in Spain, covering 50% of the Spanish population. Each participating patient will attend 10 clinic visits during 5 years of follow up. Demographic data, IBD characteristics and family history, complications, treatments, surgeries, and hospital admissions will be recorded.

RESULTS

The EpidemIBD study is the first large-scale nationwide study to investigate the incidence of IBD in Spain. Enrollment is now completed and 3627 patients are currently being followed up.

CONCLUSIONS

The study has been designed to overcome many of the limitations of previous European studies into IBD incidence by prospectively recruiting a large number of patients from all regions of Spain. In addition to epidemiological information about the burden of IBD, the 5-year follow-up period will also provide information on treatment patterns, and the natural history and financial burden of IBD.