Permanent work disability in Crohn's disease

Work Productivity Impairment in Persons with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The impact of inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] on work productivity remains unclear. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we quantify work-related outcomes and employment data among persons with IBD.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane library, Scopus, ProQuest, and clinicaltrials.gov from inception to February 2023, to identify studies on work productivity in persons with IBD aged > 18 years. Work productivity was defined primarily by the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment [WPAI] questionnaire which includes absenteeism, presenteeism, overall work impairment, and non-work activity impairment. In addition, we included data on employment, sick leaves, disability pensions, and indirect costs due to productivity loss. Pooled effect analysis was conducted using a random-effects model for pooled estimates of continuous and proportional data with 95% confidence intervals.

RESULTS

Among all patients with IBD, the pooled estimates were 16.4% for absenteeism, 35.9% for presenteeism, 39.4% for overall work impairment, and 46.0% for non-work activity impairment. Indirect costs from overall work impairment were 5131.09 euros/patient/year. Only two-thirds of IBD patients were employed, and one in three lost their jobs due to IBD. Among those employed, 39.5% report sick days, 21.3% report work disability, and 12.3% receive disability pensions. Most studies demonstrate clinically meaningful improvements in work productivity with medical and/or surgical therapies.

CONCLUSION

Persons with IBD experience significant work impairment and associated indirect costs. This highlights the need for appropriate workplace accommodations and timely medical therapy to alleviate the burden of disease and improve work outcomes.

Impact of Biological Therapies and Tofacitinib on Real-world Work Impairment in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients: A Prospective Study

BACKGROUND

There are limited real-world data on the change in total work impairment (TWI) in biological-treated patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This study aimed to evaluate the real-world effects of initiating biological therapy or tofacitinib on change in TWI in IBD patients.

METHODS

This multicenter prospective cohort study enrolled IBD patients who started treatment with biological therapy or tofacitinib. Subjects completed the work productivity and activity impairment (WPAI) questionnaire and short inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire at therapy initiation and at week 26. Total work impairment comprises working hours missed due to sick leave and impact of disease during working hours (range 0%-100%). Clinical disease activity was assessed using the Harvey-Bradshaw Index and Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index (SCCAI).

RESULTS

We included 137 IBD patients for analyses (median age 38 years, 58% Crohn's disease [CD]). The median baseline TWI was 50% and decreased by a median of 10%-points of points after 26 weeks. Patients with continued biological therapy or tofacitinib use, clinical disease activity at baseline, and clinical response or remission at week 26 showed a greater median TWI reduction (22%-points) than the remaining study patients (7%-points; P = .014). Ulcerative colitis (UC) and IBD-unclassified (IBD-U) patients showed a greater median TWI reduction (26%-points) than CD patients (6%-points); P = .041. Correlations were observed between decrease in TWI and decrease in SCCAI, decrease in fatigue and increase in quality of life.

CONCLUSIONS

Work impairment in IBD patients decreased following biological therapy or tofacitinib initiation. Patients achieving clinical remission or response showed the greatest improvement, especially UC and IBD-U patients.

Work productivity loss is determined by fatigue and reduced quality of life in employed inflammatory bowel disease patients: a prospective multicentre cohort study

OBJECTIVE

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients experience problems at work resulting in work productivity loss driving indirect healthcare costs. We aimed to find determinants for work productivity loss in employed IBD patients while correcting for disease severity according to prior and active maintenance treatment.

METHODS

In this longitudinal multicentre cohort study, 510 employed IBD patients completed online questionnaires during 18 months follow-up. Work productivity, fatigue and health-related quality of life (HRQL) were measured using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire, the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (score 20-100) and Short-Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (score 10-70). Linear mixed model analyses including random, repeated and fixed effects were performed.

RESULTS

Fatigue (β 0.22; 95% CI, 0.12-0.32) and reduced HRQL (β -1.15; 95% CI, -1.35 to -0.95) were the strongest determinants for work productivity loss in employed IBD patients. Clinical disease activity (β 9.50, 95% CI 6.48-12.51) and corticosteroid use (β 10.09, 95% CI 5.25-15.84) were associated with work productivity loss in the total IBD group and ulcerative colitis subgroup, but not in Crohn's disease patients. History of IBD-related surgery (β 9.41; 95% CI, 2.62-16.20) and vedolizumab use (β 12.74; 95% CI, 3.63-21.86) were significantly associated with work productivity loss in the ulcerative colitis subgroup.

CONCLUSIONS

Fatigue and reduced HRQL were the strongest determinants for work productivity loss in employed IBD patients while correcting for disease severity and activity. These results underline the importance of monitoring fatigue and HRQL in routine care to reduce work productivity loss and indirect costs.

[Inflammatory Bowel Disease - Challenges in the Workplace and Support for Coping with Disease]

PURPOSE

Patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are often impaired in their ability to be employed due to IBD symptoms. The aim of this study was to explore work-related problems and support requested by IBD patients and develop rehabilitation programs meeting their needs.

METHODS

A total of 235 IBD patients (97 rehabilitants, 138 outpatients) completed a questionnaire assessing disease-specific impairments, work-related concerns and the need for support services. Subjective work disability was determined with the SPE scale.

RESULTS

Participants were on average 46 years old, 60% were women, 45% suffered from Crohn's disease and 67% worked full-time; 72% (n=170) had a negative subjective prognosis of gainful employment. Participants reported an average of 12 disease-specific and 22 work-related problems. About 50% of the participants reported disease-specific problems, namely fatigue (66%), weakness (55%) and urge to pass stool (55%). The three most common work-related problems affecting more than 50% of the respondents almost every day were reduced work ability (56%), worrying about not being fully efficient (55%) and stress at work (53%). Support services requested were counselling for information on the disease (91%), treatment options (88%), social law benefits (85%) and exercises to increase physical fitness (84%).

CONCLUSION

The wide range of work-related physical and psychosocial impairments affecting IBD patients reveals a need to extend current rehabilitation services, with a stronger occupational focus and to implement a standardized screening for work-related problems. Disease-specific support services can be developed and addressed in a multimodal and interdisciplinary setting such as the rehabilitation sector.

High Disease Burden Drives Indirect Costs in Employed Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients: The WORK-IBD Study

BACKGROUND

Work productivity (WP) loss includes absence from work (absenteeism) and productivity loss while working (presenteeism), which leads to high indirect costs in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Prior health economic analyses predominantly focused on absenteeism. Here we focus on presenteeism and assess predictors of WP loss, fatigue, and reduced health-related quality of life (HRQL).

METHODS

Employed IBD patients completed the following surveys: Work Productivity and Activity Impairment, Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory, and Short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire. Predictors were assessed using uni- and multivariable regression analyses. Annual costs were calculated using percentages of WP loss, hourly wages, and contract hours.

RESULTS

Out of 1590 invited patients, 768 (48%) responded and 510 (32%) were included. Absenteeism, presenteeism, and overall WP loss were reported by 94 (18%), 257 (50%), and 269 (53%) patients, respectively, resulting in mean (SD) annual costs of €1738 (5505), €5478 (8629), and €6597 (9987), respectively. Disease activity and active perianal disease were predictors of WP loss (odds ratio [OR] = 6.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.6-12.1); OR = 3.7; 95% CI, 1.5-8.7). Disease activity and arthralgia were associated with fatigue (OR = 3.6; 95% CI, 1.9-6.8; OR = 1.8; 95% CI, 1.0-3.3)) and reduced HRQL (OR = 10.3; 95% CI, 5.9-17.9; OR = 2.3; 95 % CI, 1.4-3.8). Fatigue was the main reason for absenteeism (56%) and presenteeism (70%). Fatigue and reduced HRQL led to increased costs compared with absence of fatigue and normal HRQL (mean difference = €6630; 95% CI, €4977-€8283, P < 0.01; mean difference = €9575; 95% CI, €7767-€11,384, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Disease activity and disease burden lead to WP loss in approximately half of the employed IBD population, driving indirect costs. Fatigue is the most important reason for WP loss.

Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients With Clinical Care Pathways Reduces Emergency Department Utilization

Background

Standardizing care through pathways has the potential to reduce emergency department (ED) utilization. We developed and evaluated inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) care pathways for that purpose.

Methods

Over 2014-2016, IBD patients were retrospectively stratified into those managed and not managed by pathways. Patient data were extracted, and negative binomial regression used to predict the annual number of ED visits.

Results

There was a difference of 30.7 ED visits/100 patients between managed and nonmanaged at 12 months (P < 0.001). The incidence rate ratio of total ED visits occurring annually was 0.750 (P = 0.008).

Conclusions

Management with IBD care pathways reduces ED utilization.

Ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease of unknown aetiology affecting the colon and rectum. Multiple factors, such as genetic background, environmental and luminal factors, and mucosal immune dysregulation, have been suggested to contribute to UC pathogenesis. UC has evolved into a global burden given its high incidence in developed countries and the substantial increase in incidence in developing countries. An improved understanding of the mechanisms underlying UC has led to the emergence of new treatments. Since the early 2000s, anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) treatment has significantly improved treatment outcomes. Advances in medical treatments have enabled a paradigm shift in treatment goals from symptomatic relief to endoscopic and histological healing to achieve better long-term outcomes and, consequently, diagnostic modalities have also been improved to monitor disease activity more tightly. Despite these improvements in patient care, a substantial proportion of patients, for example, those who are refractory to medical treatment or those who develop colitis-associated colorectal dysplasia or cancer, still require restorative proctocolectomy. The development of novel drugs and improvement of the treatment strategy by implementing personalized medicine are warranted to achieve optimal disease control. However, delineating the aetiology of UC is necessary to ultimately achieve disease cure.

Questionnaire assessment helps the self-management of patients with inflammatory bowel disease during the outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019

Objective: This study aimed to assess the disease conditions of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Hubei Province during the outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) by questionnaire online and guide their self-management during this epidemic.

Results: A total of 102 eligible questionnaires were included. No patient we surveyed reported a diagnosis of COVID-19. Our result showed that 67.86% of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 80.43% of patients with Crohn's disease (CD) were in remission, 85.29%of patients had a good quality of life. Part of the patients (21.57%) reported their disease conditions worsening. The reduction in physical exercise was a risk factor for worsening conditions (OR=17.593, p=0.009). Some patients reported an alteration of medication regimens during the epidemic.

Conclusions: The epidemic of COVID-19 might have a certain impact on many aspects of Hubei IBD patients within four weeks after the traffic control. Doctors could utilize the results from our questionnaire to guide IBD patients’ self-management.

Methods: A questionnaire was designed containing the Harvey-Bradshaw Index (HBI), the 6-point Mayo Score, the short inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire (SIBDQ) and distributed to Hubei IBD patients online within four weeks of traffic control after the outbreak, it also included questions about patients’ self-reported disease conditions and their epidemiological features of COVID-19.

Predictors of High Health Care Utilization in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease Within 1 Year of Establishing Specialist Care

BACKGROUND

A small proportion of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) consume a disproportionate amount of health care resources, with most of these spent on unplanned care in emergency room (ER) and hospital visits. Interventions in those at high risk in the outpatient setting could reduce the need for future inpatient care. We sought to describe the characteristics predictive of high health care utilization within 1 year after an initial IBD clinic encounter.

METHODS

This was a retrospective study of new IBD patients seen at the outpatient clinics of 2 tertiary IBD centers in the United States. Baseline sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were collected, and the number of IBD-related ER and hospital visits were recorded over the 1-year period after the initial clinic encounter. Patients with ≥2 visits (high utilizers) were compared with those with no visits.

RESULTS

Of the 735 patients included in the final analysis, 106 (14.4%) were high utilizers, and they had a mean of 2.9 visits (maximum = 10) in the 1 year after their initial encounter. In multivariate analysis, insurance coverage through medical assistance (odds ratio [OR] 3.57; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.38-9.20), steroid use (OR 1.83; 95% CI, 1.11-3.04), short inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire score <50 (OR 2.29; 95% CI, 1.23-4.27), and current ostomy (OR 4.82; 95% CI, 1.51-15.37) were independently associated with high utilization.

CONCLUSIONS

Multidisciplinary care and resources should be preferentially channeled towards new clinic patients with severe disease and on medical assistance, as this could reduce future inpatient visits and result in cost savings.

Work Loss in Relation to Pharmacological and Surgical Treatment for Crohn's Disease: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Purpose

Patients with Crohn’s disease have increased work loss. We aimed to describe changes in work ability in relation to pharmacological and surgical treatments.

Patients and Methods

We linked data from the Swedish National Patient Register, The Swedish Quality Register for Inflammatory Bowel Disease SWIBREG, The Prescribed Drug Register, The Longitudinal Integrated Database for Health Insurance and Labour Market Studies, and the Social Insurance Database. We identified working-age (19–59 years) patients with incident Crohn’s disease 2006–2013 and population comparator subjects matched by sex, birth year, region, and education level. We assessed the number of lost workdays due to sick leave and disability pension before and after treatments.

Results

Of 3956 patients (median age 34 years, 51% women), 39% were treated with aminosalicylates, 52% with immunomodulators, 22% with TNF inhibitors, and 18% with intestinal surgery during a median follow-up of 5.3 years. Most patients had no work loss during the study period (median=0 days). For all treatments, the mean number of lost workdays increased during the months before treatment initiation, peaked during the first month of treatment and decreased thereafter, and was heavily influenced by sociodemographic factors and amount of work loss before first Crohn’s disease diagnosis. The mean increase in work loss days compared to pre-therapeutic level was ~3 days during the first month of treatment for all pharmacological therapies and 11 days for intestinal surgery. Three months after treatment initiation, 88% of patients treated surgically and 90–92% of patients treated pharmacologically had the same amount of work loss as before treatment start. Median time to return to work was 2 months for all treatments.

Conclusion

In this regular clinical setting, patients treated surgically had more lost workdays than patients treated pharmacologically, but return to work was similar between all treatments.

Predictors of response and disease course in patients with inflammatory bowel disease treated with biological therapy-the Danish IBD Biobank Project: protocol for a multicentre prospective cohort study

INTRODUCTION

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are chronic diseases of unknown cause characterised by a progressive and unpredictable disease course. In the last decade, biological treatment has become a cornerstone in the treatment of IBD. However, one-in-three-to-four patients do not respond to first-line biological agents and another third of patients see their response diminish over time. This highlights an unmet need for optimising the use of biologicals and the prediction of treatment response. Considering the multifaceted nature of IBD, we hypothesise that multiomics profiling of sequential samples from single patients could facilitate the discovery of predictive biomarkers of response to biological therapy and disease course.

METHODS

This is a multicentre prospective cohort study which will enrol 840 biological-naïve patients with IBD who initiate biological therapy in a 3-year period. Primary outcomes are the occurrence of primary non-response (evaluated at weeks 14-16) and loss of response (evaluated during entire follow-up in patients who obtain partial or full response after induction period). Each patient will be followed up for their clinical data for at least 1 year or till the end of study period (up to 4 years). Blood and stool samples will be collected sequentially during the first year of biological treatment. Intestinal tissue will be sampled after 1 year of treatment and whenever an endoscopy is performed. Samples will undergo transcriptomic, proteomic and microbial DNA analyses. Omics data will be integrated with clinical data to identify a panel of predictive biomarkers of response to biological therapy and disease behaviour in patients with IBD.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethical approval has been obtained from the Danish Ethics Committee (H-18064178). Inclusion is ongoing at three study centres and will be initiated in two additional centres. Both positive and negative study results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals according to Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines, as well as presented at international conferences.

Are Surgical Rates Decreasing in the Biological Era In IBD?

Crohn's Disease (CD) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC), known as Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD), are multifactorial, potentially debilitating diseases with probable genetic heterogeneity and unknown etiology. During the disease course of IBD, periods of inflammatory activity alternate with periods of remission. Severe complications in IBD often result in surgery. In the last two decades, major advances in medical treatment have changed the management of IBD. The advent of monoclonal antibodies targeting cytokines and adhesion molecules has brought a revolution in the treatment of IBD refractory to conventional therapy. However, it is not well established if these treatments could influence the long-term course of the diseases and the need for surgical treatment, though they have no severe adverse effects and improve quality of life. It has been shown that in the era of biologic agents, there has been a relative reduction in surgery rate for mild disease presentation, while the incidence of emergency or urgent surgery both for CD and UC remains unmodified. We summarized key data about current surgical rates in IBD after the advent of biologic agents.

Impact of inflammatory bowel diseases on working life: A French nationwide survey

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) affect working-age patients. Data was lacking concerning the impact on working life.

AIMS

The French IBD patient association conducted a nationwide survey to assess the burden of IBD at work.

METHODS

An online survey was performed in 2016, targeting IBD patients working or having worked previously. The results were compared to those observed in the general population.

RESULTS

Data from 1410 IBD patients were analyzed (62% Crohn's disease, 35% ulcerative colitis). Four-fifth of respondents were actively employed. Half of them stated that working with IBD was a problem. Compared to the general population, IBD employees had higher rates of permanent contracts, public employment but also of part-time contracts, and highly graduated patients were less likely to reach high qualified jobs. Among the disabling symptoms at work, fatigue was the most frequent (41%) followed by diarrhea (25%) and fecal incontinence (18%). Despite these difficulties, 76% were satisfied with their job. Most patients shared their IBD diagnosis with their colleagues, but 25% of them regretted it.

CONCLUSION

IBD has a strong negative impact on working life. While work satisfaction remains high, IBD affects career plans, highlighting the need for supporting measures to improve patients' work experience.

Work Loss Before and After Diagnosis of Crohn's Disease

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to examine work loss in patients with Crohn's disease.

METHODS

Using nationwide registers, we identified incident patients with Crohn's disease (2007-2010) and population comparator subjects without inflammatory bowel disease, matched by age, sex, calendar year, health care region, and education level. We assessed the number of lost workdays due to sick leave and disability pension from 5 years before to 5 years after first diagnosis of Crohn's disease or end of follow-up (September 30, 2015).

RESULTS

Among the 2015 incident Crohn's disease patients (median age, 35 years; 50% women), both the proportion with work loss and the mean annual number of lost workdays were larger 5 years before diagnosis (25%; mean, 45 days) than in the 10,067 comparators (17%; mean, 29 days). Increased work loss was seen during the year of diagnosis, after which it declined to levels similar to before diagnosis. Of all patients, 75% had no work loss 24-12 months before diagnosis. Of them, 84% had full work ability also 12-24 months after diagnosis. In patients with total work loss (8.3% of all) before diagnosis, 83% did not work after. Among those with full work ability before diagnosis, the absolute risk of having total work loss after diagnosis was 1.4% (0.43% in the comparators). Our results were consistent across several sensitivity analyses using alternative definitions for date of diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with Crohn's disease had increased work loss several years before diagnosis, possibly explained by comorbidity or by diagnostic delay.

Epidemiological features and disease-related concerns of a large cohort of Italian patients with active Crohn's disease

BACKGROUND-AIMS

The SOLE study was conducted on a large cohort of Italian patients with moderate-severe Crohn's disease (CD) to assess epidemiological and disease characteristics and their correlation with disease-related worries, treatment satisfaction and adherence, workability.

METHODS

The following tools were used over 12 months to assess: Results were correlated with demographic and clinical variables with linear regression models.

RESULTS

552 patients with active CD (51% men) were recruited. Higher worries were having an ostomy bag and undergoing surgery. Variables associated with a higher RFIPC score included female sex, higher disease activity, lower treatment adherence (p < 0.001), previous surgical treatments (p = 0.003). 60% of patients claimed difficulties with activities of daily living. Lower VAS scores were reported by patients with disease duration >6years; treatment satisfaction/adherence was higher with anti-TNF-α treatment. Decreased hospitalizations during follow-up and improved workability/daily activities occurred with adalimumab, infliximab, azathioprine (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Worries included having an ostomy bag, undergoing surgery, developing cancer: conditions significantly associated with worsened disease activity and low treatment adherence. Higher treatment adherence scores/greater workability improvements were observed in patients treated with anti-TNF-α agents.

De-escalation of IBD Therapy: When, Who, and How?

When patients with inflammatory bowel disease reach clinical remission with biologic therapy, a question that often comes up is, “when can I stop my biologic medication?” This is a question fraught with challenges for both physicians and patients. For physicians, there are valid concerns that stepping down from a successful therapy will lead to relapse and disease exacerbation, and that stepping down could lead to anti-biologic antibodies. For patients, the question is often driven by concerns about long-term side effects and costs of biologics. This review provides an overview of the rationale for, and risks of, withdrawal of IBD therapy. Selected studies have shown how to identify subsets of patients in whom de-escalation can be performed with low risk of relapse. Practical guidance on when and how to de-escalate IBD therapy is provided.

Epidemiology and Pathophysiology of Gastroparesis

Gastroparesis is a complex syndrome with symptoms that include nausea, vomiting, and postprandial abdominal pain, and is frequently accompanied by significant delays in gastric emptying. The pathophysiology of diabetic gastroparesis is fairly well understood; however, idiopathic gastroparesis, which accounts for one-third of all cases, may stem from infections, or autoimmune or neurologic disorders, among other causes. To date, few population-based studies have estimated the true prevalence and incidence of gastroparesis. Nonetheless, its prevalence appears to be rising, as does its incidence among minority populations, documented via hospitalizations, which can impose significant economic burdens on patients.

Sick Leave and Disability Pension in Prevalent Patients With Crohn's Disease

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Crohn's disease may affect the ability to work and lead to permanent disability. We aimed to investigate work loss in prevalent patients.

METHODS

We identified patients with Crohn's disease and general population comparators matched by sex, birth year, healthcare region and education. We assessed days of sick leave and disability pension retrieved from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency and estimated the absolute and relative risk of receiving disability pension [minimum 25% work impairment].

RESULTS

In 2014, the 20638 Crohn's disease patients [median age 44 years] had more than twice as many mean lost workdays [disability pension: 44; sick leave: 19] as the 102038 comparators [disability pension: 20; sick leave: 8], mean difference 35 days [95% confidence interval 33-37]. However, the majority had no lost workdays [68% of patients and 85% of comparators]. The proportion of patients receiving disability pension was 15% (6.5% in the comparators, risk ratio 2.34 [2.25-2.43]) and was higher in all subgroups, especially in female patients [28% vs 13% in the comparators], in those with ≤9 years of education [41% vs 23%] and in ages 60-64 years [46% vs 25%]. The relative risk of disability pension within the patient cohort [adjusted for age, sex, region and education] was higher in patients with complicated disease behaviour, extraintestinal manifestations, need of surgery or treatment with biologics. The differences between patients and comparators remained when comparing other calendar years [2006-2013].

CONCLUSION

Work loss was found in approximately one-third of patients. The mean number of lost workdays was twice as high as in the comparators.

Reduced Unplanned Care and Disease Activity and Increased Quality of Life After Patient Enrollment in an Inflammatory Bowel Disease Medical Home

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Specialty medical homes (SMHs) are a new health care model in which a multidisciplinary team and specialists manage patients with chronic diseases. As part of a large integrated payer-provider network, we formed an inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) SMH and investigated its effects on health care use, disease activity, and quality of life (QoL).

METHODS

We performed a retrospective analysis of 322 patients (58% female; mean age, 34.6 y; 62% with Crohn's disease; 32% with prior IBD surgery) enrolled in an IBD SMH, in conjunction with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Health Plan, from June 2015 through July 2016. Patients had at least 1 year of follow up. We evaluated changes in numbers of emergency department visits and hospitalizations from the year before vs after SMH enrollment. Secondary measures included IBD activity assessments and QoL.

RESULTS

Compared to the year before IBD SMH enrollment, patients had a 47.3% reduction in emergency department visits (P < .0001) and a 35.9% reduction in hospitalizations (P = .008). In the year following IBD SMH enrollment, patients had significant reductions in the median Harvey-Bradshaw Index score (reduced from 4 to 3.5; P = .002), and median ulcerative colitis activity index score (from 4 to 3; P = .0003), and increases in QoL (median short inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire score increased from 50 to 51.8; P < .0001). Patients in the most extreme (highest and lowest) quartiles had the most improvement when we compared scores at baseline vs after enrollment. Based on multivariable regression analysis, use of corticosteroids (odds ratio [OR], 2.72; 95% CI, 1.32-5.66; P = .007) or opioids (OR, 3.20; 95% CI, 1.32-7.78; P = .01), and low QoL (OR, 4.44; 95% CI, 1.08-18.250; P = .04) at enrollment were significantly associated with persistent emergency department visits and hospitalizations.

CONCLUSIONS

We found development of an IBD SMH to be feasible and significantly reduce unplanned care and disease activity and increase patient QoL 1 year after enrollment.

Biological therapy and surgery rates in inflammatory bowel diseases - Data analysis of almost 1000 patients from a Hungarian tertiary IBD center

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) [Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC)], are chronic relapsing disorders of unknown etiology. The aim of this study was to determine demographic features, disease phenotypes, medical and surgical therapies in our IBD patients and to identify which parameters are in association with the need of surgery and/or biologic therapy. Data on demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients were analyzed from the IBD registry of the 1^st Department of Medicine, University of Szeged. The study period was between January 2007 and March 2015. Data of 911 IBD patients (428 CD, 483 UC) were analyzed. The median lag time between onset of symptoms and diagnosis proved to be significantly longer in UC than in CD (4.6 years vs. 2.1 years, p = 0.01). 40% of the patients received biological therapy, 301 patients underwent surgery required more frequently for CD than UC. Surgery was more common in CD patients with ileal location and penetrating behaviour. In UC, more severe disease onset predicted to unfavourable disease course. Higher proportion of surgery was shown in patient aged above 40 years in both CD and UC. Diagnostic delay of more than 1 year and appendectomy predicted to unfavourable disease outcome of both CD and UC. This analysis revealed that more than 1 year of diagnostic delay, disease activity at diagnosis in UC, CD, ileal location and penetrating behaviour are factors that may influence disease outcome. Use of thiopurines seemed to be protective in UC.

The Association Between Sustained Poor Quality of Life and Future Opioid Use in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with poor quality of life and disability. The short inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire (SIBDQ) is validated to determine patients quality of life at single time points, or improvement over time. Few studies have evaluated if sustained poor quality of life is associated with future healthcare utilization patterns.

METHODS

We analyzed patients from a prospective IBD natural history registry with 4 consecutive years of follow-up. SIBDQ was measured at outpatient visits. Healthcare utilization data were temporally organized into a 2-year observation period, and 2-year follow-up period. Mean SIBDQ score <50 during the first 2 years was categorized as having "poor quality of life". Primary outcomes of interest were measures of unplanned healthcare utilization and opioid use.

RESULTS

From a total of 447 participants (56.1% female, 66.1% Crohn's disease, 34.9% ulcerative colitis), 215 (48.1%) were classified as having poor quality of life. Poor quality of life was significantly associated with Crohn's disease (P < 0.01), history of IBD related surgery, and tobacco use (all P < 0.01). In the follow-up period, the same patients with poor quality of life were more likely to have abnormal biomarkers of inflammation, more telephone calls and office visits, experience unplanned care, and be exposed to opiates (all P < 0.05). After multivariable analysis, poor quality of life remained an independent predictor of future opiate use (odds ratio: 2.2, P = 0.003) and decreased time to first opiate prescription (hazard ratio: 1.67, P = 0.019) in the follow-up period.

CONCLUSIONS

IBD patients with sustained poor quality of life are at an increased risk of opiate use and decreased time to opiate exposure. Routine measurement of quality of life in the outpatient setting may provide insight into those at risk for narcotic use and healthcare utilization. 10.1093/ibd/izy040_video1izy040.video25791709872001.

Telephone Encounters Predict Future High Financial Expenditures in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients: A 3-Year Prospective Observational Study

BACKGROUND

Telephone activity is essential in management of complex chronic diseases including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Telephone encounters logged in the electronic medical record have recently been proposed as a surrogate marker of disease activity and impending health care utilization; however, the association between telephone calls and financial expenditures has not been evaluated.

STUDY

We performed a 3-year prospective observational study of telephone encounters logged at a tertiary referral IBD center. We analyzed patient demographics, disease characteristics, comorbidities, clinical activity, and health care financial charges by telephone encounter frequency.

RESULTS

Eight hundred one patients met inclusion criteria (52.3% female; mean age, 44.1 y), accounted for 12,669 telephone encounters, and accrued $70,513,449 in charges over 3 years. High telephone encounter frequency was associated with female gender (P=0.003), anxiety/depression (P<0.001), and prior IBD surgery (P<0.001). High telephone encounter categories had significantly more hospitalizations (P<0.001), IBD surgery (P<0.001), worse quality of life (P<0.001), more corticosteroid (P<0.001), biological (P<0.001), and opiate prescriptions (P<0.001). High telephone encounter frequency patients amassed higher total available charges in each year (P<0.001) and over the 3 years (P<0.001). Telephone encounters in 2009 (P=0.02) and 2010 (P<0.001) were significantly associated with financial charges the following year after controlling for demographic, utilization, and medication covariates.

CONCLUSIONS

Increased telephone encounters are associated with significantly higher health care utilization and financial expenditures. Increased call frequency is predictive of future health care spending. Telephone encounters are a useful tool to identify patients at risk of clinical deterioration and large financial expense.

The socio-economic impact of work disability due to inflammatory bowel disease in Brazil

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) might have economic and social impacts in Brazil, where its prevalence has increased recently. This study aimed to assess disability due to IBD in the Brazilian population and demographic factors potentially associated with absence from work.

METHODS

Analysis was performed using the computerized Single System of Social Security Benefits Information, with a cross-check for aid pension and disability retirement, for Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Additional data were obtained from the platform, including the average values, benefit duration, age, gender and region of the country.

RESULTS

Temporary disability occurred more frequently with UC, whereas permanent disability was more frequent with CD. Temporary disability affected more younger patients with CD than patients with UC. Temporary work absences due to UC and CD were greater in the South, and the lowest absence rates due to CD were noted in the North and Northeast. Absence from work was longer (extending for nearly a year) in patients with CD compared to those with UC. The rates of temporary and permanent disability were greater among women. Permanent disability rates were higher in the South (UC) and Southeast (CD). The value of benefits paid for IBD represented approximately 1% of all social security benefits. The benefits paid for CD were higher than for UC, whereas both tended to decrease from 2010 to 2014.

CONCLUSIONS

In Brazil, IBD frequently causes disability for prolonged periods and contributes to early retirement. Reduction trends may reflect improvements in access to health care and medication. Vocational rehabilitation programs may positively impact social security and the patients' quality of life.

Disability due to Inflammatory Bowel Disease Is Correlated with Drug Compliance, Disease Activity, and Quality of Life

Background/Aims

The inflammatory bowel disease disability index (IBD-DI) was recently developed for IBD to assess the functional consequences and disease burden. We applied the IBD-DI to a Korean population and identified predictive factors influencing IBD-related disability.

Methods

Between March and August 2015, 322 consecutive patients with IBD were prospectively recruited. Patients completed the IBD-DI questionnaire and Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis Questionnaire (CUCQ-8) for assessing quality of life. We examined the relationships between IBD-DI and disease activity or quality of life and analyzed predictive factors in Korean IBD patients.

Results

Enrolled patients completed both questionnaires. Total IBD-DI was correlated with CUCQ-8 scores in both ulcerative colitis (r=0.636, p<0.001) and Crohn’s disease (r=0.711, p<0.001). Total IBD-DI was also correlated with disease activity in both ulcerative colitis (r= −0.224, p=0.003) and Crohn’s disease (r= −0.307, p<0.001). Better drug compliance was associated with lower disability (p=0.001) and higher quality of life (p=0.003).

Conclusions

Disability from IBD was correlated with disease activity and poor quality of life. Better drug compliance was associated with lower disability and higher quality of life. Our findings indicate that physicians should emphasize the importance of medication compliance for IBD patients.

Predicting Hospitalization and Outpatient Corticosteroid Use in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients Using Machine Learning

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic disease characterized by unpredictable episodes of flares and periods of remission. Tools that accurately predict disease course would substantially aid therapeutic decision-making. This study aims to construct a model that accurately predicts the combined end point of outpatient corticosteroid use and hospitalizations as a surrogate for IBD flare.

METHODS

Predictors evaluated included age, sex, race, use of corticosteroid-sparing immunosuppressive medications (immunomodulators and/or anti-TNF), longitudinal laboratory data, and number of previous IBD-related hospitalizations and outpatient corticosteroid prescriptions. We constructed models using logistic regression and machine learning methods (random forest [RF]) to predict the combined end point of hospitalization and/or corticosteroid use for IBD within 6 months.

RESULTS

We identified 20,368 Veterans Health Administration patients with the first (index) IBD diagnosis between 2002 and 2009. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AuROC) for the baseline logistic regression model was 0.68 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.67-0.68). AuROC for the RF longitudinal model was 0.85 (95% CI, 0.84-0.85). AuROC for the RF longitudinal model using previous hospitalization or steroid use was 0.87 (95% CI, 0.87-0.88). The 5 leading independent risk factors for future hospitalization or steroid use were age, mean serum albumin, immunosuppressive medication use, and mean and highest platelet counts. Previous hospitalization and corticosteroid use were highly predictive when included in specified models.

CONCLUSIONS

A novel machine learning model substantially improved our ability to predict IBD-related hospitalization and outpatient steroid use. This model could be used at point of care to distinguish patients at high and low risk for disease flare, allowing individualized therapeutic management.

Efficacy of noninvasive evaluations in monitoring inflammatory bowel disease activity: A prospective study in China

AIM

To optimize the efficacy of noninvasive evaluations in monitoring the endoscopic activity of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

METHODS

Fecal calprotectin (FC), clinical activity index (CDAI or CAI), C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and procalcitonin (PCT) were measured for 136 IBD patients. Also, FC was measured in 25 irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients that served as controls. Then, endoscopic activity was determined by other two endoscopists for colonic or ileo-colonic Crohn’s disease (CICD) with the “simple endoscopic score for Crohn’s disease” (SES-CD), CD-related surgery patients with the Rutgeerts score, and ulcerative colitis (UC) with the Mayo score. The efficacies of these evaluations to predict the endoscopic disease activity were assessed by Mann-Whitney test, χ² test, Spearman’s correlation, and multiple linear regression analysis.

RESULTS

The median FC levels in CD, UC, and IBS patients were 449.6 (IQR, 137.9-1344.8), 497.9 (IQR, 131.7-118.0), and 9.9 (IQR, 049.7) μg/g, respectively (P < 0.001). For FC, CDAI or CAI, CRP, and ESR differed significantly between endoscopic active and remission in CICD and UC patients, but not in CD-related surgery patients. The SES-CD correlated closely with levels of FC (r = 0.802), followed by CDAI (r = 0.734), CRP (r = 0.658), and ESR (r = 0.557). The Mayo score also correlated significantly with FC (r = 0.837), CAI (r = 0.776), ESR (r = 0.644), and CRP (r = 0.634). For FC, a cut-off value of 250 μg/g indicated endoscopic active inflammation with accuracies of 87.5%, 60%, and 91.1%, respectively, for CICD, CD-related surgery, and UC patients. Moreover, clinical FC activity (CFA) calculated as 0.8 × FC + 4.6 × CDAI showed higher area under the curve (AUC) of 0.962 for CICD and CFA calculated as 0.2 × FC + 50 × CAI showed higher AUC (0.980) for UC patients than the FC. Also, the diagnostic accuracy of FC in identifying patients with mucosal inflammation in clinical remission was reflected by an AUC of 0.91 for CICD and 0.96 for UC patients.

CONCLUSION

FC is the most promising noninvasive evaluation for monitoring the endoscopic activity of CICD and UC. CFA might be more accurate for IBD activity evaluation.

Symptoms of anxiety and depression are independently associated with inflammatory bowel disease-related disability

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) frequently results in disability. The relevance of psychological effects in causing disability, and whether disability occurs similarly in non-Western cohorts is as yet unknown.

AIM

We assessed the relationship between symptoms of anxiety and depression, quality of life and disability in a Singaporean IBD cohort and their predictors.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study. We assessed consecutive IBD subjects' IBD-Disability Index (IBD-DI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and IBD questionnaire (IBDQ). Clinical and demographic variables were collected. Non-parametric statistical analyses were performed. Independent predictors of disability were identified through multivariate logistic regression.

RESULTS

200 consecutive subjects were recruited (males: 69%; median age: 43.8 (±15.4) years; 95 had Crohn's disease (CD), 105 had ulcerative colitis (UC); median IBD duration: 10.8 (±9.0) years.) 27% of the cohort had anxiety and/or depression, which worsened disability (IBD-DI: -9 (±14) with anxiety vs 6 (±13) without anxiety, P<0.001; -12 (±16) with depression vs 5 (±13) without depression, P<0.001). Age at diagnosis, use of prednisolone, stricturing CD and active IBD were significant predictors of disability. IBDQ strongly correlated with IBD-DI(r_s=0.82, P<0.01).

CONCLUSION

Symptoms of anxiety and depression were common in this Asian cohort of IBD and were strongly associated with IBD-related disability. Recognizing psychological issues contributing to disability in IBD is important to ensure holistic care and appropriate treatment.

Cost-utility Analysis: Thiopurines Plus Endoscopy-guided Biological Step-up Therapy is the Optimal Management of Postoperative Crohn's Disease

BACKGROUND

Postoperative recurrence of Crohn's disease is common. This study sought to assess whether the postoperative management should be based on biological therapy alone or combined with thiopurines and whether the therapy should be started immediately after surgery or guided by either endoscopic or clinical recurrence.

METHODS

A Markov model was developed to estimate expected health outcomes in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and costs in Canadian dollars (CAD$) accrued by hypothetical patients with high recurrence risk after ileocolic resection. Eight strategies of postoperative management were evaluated. A lifetime time horizon, an annual discount rate of 5%, a societal perspective, and a cost-effectiveness threshold of 50,000 CAD$/QALY were assumed. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted. The model was validated against randomized trials and historical cohorts.

RESULTS

Three strategies dominated the others: endoscopy-guided full step-up therapy (14.80 QALYs, CAD$ 462,180), thiopurines immediately post-surgery plus endoscopy-guided biological step-up therapy (14.89 QALYs, CAD$ 464,099) and combination therapy immediately post-surgery (14.94 QALYs, CAD$ 483,685). The second strategy was the most cost-effective, assuming a cost-effectiveness threshold of 50,000 CAD$/QALY. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed that the second strategy has the highest probability of being the optimal alternative in all comparisons at cost-effectiveness thresholds from 30,000 to 100,000 CAD$/QALY. The strategies guided only by clinical recurrence and those using biologics alone were dominated.

CONCLUSIONS

According to this decision analysis, thiopurines immediately after surgery and addition of biologics guided by endoscopic recurrence is the optimal strategy of postoperative management in patients with Crohn's disease with high risk of recurrence (see Video Abstract, Supplemental Digital Content 1, http://links.lww.com/IBD/B654).

Silent Crohn's Disease Predicts Increased Bowel Damage During Multiyear Follow-up: The Consequences of Under-reporting Active Inflammation

BACKGROUND

Patients with Crohn's disease (CD) in clinical remission with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) have been labeled "silent CD" and have increased 2-year hospitalization rates when compared with asymptomatic patients with no biochemical evidence of inflammation. The risk of cumulative bowel damage in patients with silent CD is unknown.

METHODS

Observational study of patients with CD prospectively followed in a tertiary referral natural history registry. Consecutive patients with CD in clinical remission (Harvey-Bradshaw Index ≤ 4) with good quality of life (short inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire score ≥ 50), and same day CRP measurement at first encounter, followed for a minimum of 4 years formed the study population. Disease trajectory was determined using change in Lémann Index as a measure of bowel damage.

RESULTS

A total of 185 patients with CD (median age 42 years; 51.4% men) were included in the study. CRP elevation was observed in 43 (23%) patients (Silent CD cohort). Majority of them showed worsening disease trajectories based on change in Lémann Index when compared with asymptomatic patients with normal CRP (65% versus 36%, P < 0.0001). Multinomial logistic regression analysis demonstrated that elevated CRP was independently associated with 7-fold higher odds (odds ratio = 6.93, P < 0.0001) of having worse disease trajectories when compared with stable disease trajectories.

CONCLUSIONS

Two-thirds of patients with CD in clinical remission, while demonstrating elevated CRP, will develop bowel damage over the ensuing years, despite feeling well. These patients with silent CD are an "at-risk" group who warrant further investigation to prevent development of disease-related complications.

Group-Based Trajectory Modeling of Healthcare Financial Charges in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Comprehensive Phenotype

Objectives:

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a heterogeneous group of chronic inflammatory gastrointestinal conditions with variable disease courses often requiring significant healthcare expenditures. We aimed to identify disease trajectory patterns based on longitudinal financial expenditures and to assess the association of classic disease activity parameters with financial charges.

Methods:

This was an analysis of a consented, prospective, natural history IBD registry (2009–2013) from a tertiary IBD center of 2,203 patients and their associated medical charges excluding pharmacy expenses. We applied group-based trajectory modeling to longitudinal healthcare financial charges to determine patterns of charges. We assessed the association between charge patterns and disease activity, quality of life, healthcare utilization, and medication requirement.

Results:

The final model included 1,600 IBD patients with 5-year charges. We identified six distinct trajectories over the study period. Consistently High charges were associated with Crohn’s disease (66.0% Consistently High patients, P<0.01), perianal involvement (22.6%, P<0.01), ulcerative colitis extent (89.7% extensive, P=0.01), prior IBD surgery (52.5%, P<0.01), and depression/anxiety (36.2%, P<0.01). Compared with other trajectories, Consistently High charges had higher 5-year disease activity indices (Harvey–Bradshaw P<0.01; ulcerative colitis activity index P<0.01), elevated C-reactive protein rates (72.3%, P<0.01), IBD surgery (64.5%, P<0.01), hospitalization (97.2%, P<0.01), corticosteroid (70.9%, P<0.01) and antitumor necrosis factor requirement (50.4%, P<0.01), and worse quality of life (P<0.01). Annual trends in parameters were reflected in temporal changes in financial charges. The majority of financial burden stemmed from inpatient care.

Conclusions:

Healthcare financial charges represent a novel phenotype in IBD that reflect trends in classic disease activity parameters and allow for subgroup identification of temporal disease trajectories.

Demographic and Clinical Predictors of High Healthcare Use in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a heterogeneous chronic inflammatory condition requiring significant healthcare expenditure. Subgroups of individuals contribute disproportionately to spending. We aimed to determine demographic and clinical factors predictive of high healthcare expenditures for IBD patients followed over a multiyear period.

METHODS

This was a registry analysis using a prospective observational, consented, natural history registry from a tertiary IBD center and associated medical charges, not including pharmacy expenses. The 100 patients with the highest medical charges (top 5%) were compared with the median 300 patients. Logistic regression determined demographic and clinical factors associated with high charge patients.

RESULTS

IBD patients in the high charge group had significantly more unemployment (P < 0.0001), were of black race (P = 0.013), comorbid psychiatric illness (P = 0.002), hypertension (P = 0.01), diabetes (P = 0.004), opiate use (P < 0.0001), perianal involvement (P = 0.002), penetrating disease (P < 0.0001), and extensive colitis (P = 0.01). In multivariate analysis, unemployment (Crohn's disease [CD]: odds ratio [OR], 3.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.32-7.02; ulcerative colitis [UC]: OR, 2.68; 95% CI, 1.20-5.99), psychiatric illness (UC: OR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.03-4.19), opiates (CD: OR, 5.61; 95% CI, 2.67-11.82; UC: OR, 5.14; 95% CI, 2.52-10.48), prior surgery (CD: OR, 3.29; 95% CI, 1.59-6.82; UC: OR, 2.72; 95% CI, 1.39-5.32), penetrating CD (OR, 3.29; 95% CI, 1.02-10.62), and corticosteroid requirement (CD: OR, 3.78; 95% CI, 1.86-7.65; UC: OR, 2.98; 95% CI, 1.51-5.90) remained independently associated with high charges.

CONCLUSIONS

High expenditure IBD patients were affected by more severe disease. The high prevalence of depression, anxiety, and chronic pain in these patients suggests the need for focused treatment of these comorbidities ultimately to reduce financial burden.

Development and Validation of the Short Crohn's Disease Work Disability Questionnaire

BACKGROUND

The aim was to develop and validate a self-reported short Crohn's disease work disability questionnaire (sCDWDQ).

METHODS

(1) Development of a shortened questionnaire-Patients' responses to the validation process (n = 108) of a previously developed, 16-item Spanish Crohn's disease work disability questionnaire (CDWDQ) were analyzed using the Rasch model for multiple response items. After this process, a 9-item sCDWDQ was obtained. (2) Validation phase-The validation assessed the questionnaire's convergent validity, discriminant validity, test-retest reproducibility, and internal consistency. Spearman rank correlation, t test, intra-class correlation and Cronbach's alpha were used for the analysis.

RESULTS

One hundred fifty-one patients were included in the validation phase. (1) Convergent validity was confirmed by correlations between the sCDWDQ and clinical activity (r = 0.66, P < 0.01), the short inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire IBDQ-9 (r = 0.74, P < 0.001), Euroqol-5D (r = 0.63, P < 0.01), the EuroQol-5D visual analog scale (r = 0.54, P < 0.01), and overall work impairment (r = 0.66, P < 0.01); (2) Discriminant validity-sCDWDQ scores were higher in patients with active disease (20.1 ± 6.3 versus 13.0 ± 3.8 inactive, P < 0.001), in those requiring previous sick leave (19.6 ± 6.9 versus no sick leave 14.2 ± 4.8, P < 0.01) and in those requiring hospitalization (20.0 ± 7.3 [n = 29] versus no hospitalization 14.1 ± 7.3 [n = 90], P < 0.01); (3) Internal consistency was also good (Cronbach's alpha = 0.92); and (4) Reproducibility-sCDWDQ measures obtained 2 weeks apart showed an excellent intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.92 (95% confidence interval, 0.90-0.94).

CONCLUSIONS

The self-reported sCDWDQ appears to be a simple, valid, and reliable tool for measuring work disability in Crohn's disease.

Autoimmunity in Crohn's Disease-A Putative Stratification Factor of the Clinical Phenotype

Inflammation in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) has been linked to a loss of tolerance to self-antigens suggesting the existence of autoantibodies in specific disease phenotypes. However, the lack of clearly defined autoantigenic targets has slowed down research. Genome-wide association studies have identified an impressive number of immune-related susceptibility loci for IBD with no clearly discernible pattern among them. Growing evidence supports the hypothesis that innate immune responses to a low-diversity and impaired gut microbiota may be of key importance in initiating and perpetuating chronic inflammation in IBD. Increasing evidence suggests that reduced microbial diversity and microbial-mucosal epithelium interaction (including adhesion and clearance) are critically involved in IBD pathogenesis. Along these lines the discovery of autoantigenic targets in Crohn's disease (CD) has refocused research in IBD on the possible role of autoimmune responses. The identification of the major zymogen granule membrane glycoprotein 2 (GP2) as an autoantigen in CD patients and its proposed role in the sensing of the microbiota lends credence to this trend. Loss of tolerance to GP2 occurs in up to 40% of patients with CD. Corresponding autoantibodies appear to be associated with distinct disease courses (types or phenotypes) in CD. Here, we critically review autoantibodies in CD for their impact on clinical practice and future IBD research. The immunomodulatory role of GP2 in innate and adaptive intestinal immunity is also discussed.

Impact of Obesity on the Management and Clinical Course of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

BACKGROUND

Obesity has been linked with a proinflammatory state and the development of inflammatory diseases. Data on the clinical course and treatment of obese patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are limited. We used an institutional IBD registry to investigate the impact of obesity on IBD severity and treatment.

METHODS

This was a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data for 3 years (2009-2011). Patients with IBD were categorized by body mass index (BMI). IBD-related quality of life, biochemical markers of inflammation, comorbidities, health care utilization, and treatment were characterized. Obesity was defined as a BMI ≥30 (type I: 30-34.9, type II: 35-39.9, and type III ≥40).

RESULTS

Among 1494 patients with IBD, 71.9% were above their ideal BMI and 31.5% were obese. Obesity was more common in ulcerative colitis compared with patients with Crohn's disease (P = 0.04). Obese class II and class III patients were predominantly female. Obesity in IBD was associated with female gender (P < 0.0001), diabetes mellitus (P < 0.001), hypertension (P < 0.001), hyperlipidemia (P < 0.001), poor quality of life (P < 0.0001), and increased rates of C-reactive protein elevation (P = 0.008). In logistic regression analysis, quality of life and C-reactive protein elevation were not independently correlated with obesity. There was no association between increasing BMI and annual prednisone use, emergency department visits, hospitalization, and surgery. Obesity was associated with lower milligrams per kilogram doses of purine analogs and biologics.

CONCLUSIONS

Obesity in IBD is not associated with increased health care utilization and IBD-related surgeries. Optimal regimens for drug dosing in obese patients with IBD have yet to be defined.

Comparison of Costs and Quality of Life in Ulcerative Colitis Patients with an Ileal Pouch-Anal Anastomosis, Ileostomy and Anti-TNFα Therapy

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

More data are warranted on the economic impact of different treatment strategies in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients. We compared the costs and quality of life of UC patients with a pouch reconstruction, an ileostomy or anti-tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα) therapy.

METHODS

UC patients filled out 3-monthly questionnaires for 2 years. Differences in 3-monthly healthcare costs, productivity costs and patient costs were tested using mixed model analysis. Quality of life was assessed employing the ) and the inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire (IBDQ).

RESULTS

Out of 915 UC patients, 81 (9%) had a pouch and 48 (5%) an ileostomy, and 34 (4%) were on anti-TNFα therapy. Anti-TNFα-treated patients reported high UC related-healthcare costs per 3 months (€5350). Medication use accounted for 92% of healthcare costs. UC-attributable healthcare costs were 3-fold higher in ileostomy patients compared with pouch patients (€1581 versus €407; p < 0.01). Main cost drivers in ileostomy patients were healthcare costs and ileostomy supplies (2 and 23% of healthcare costs, respectively). In pouch patients, the main cost driver was hospitalization, accounting for 50% of healthcare costs. Productivity loss did not differ between pouch and ileostomy patients (€483 versus €377; p < 0.23), but was significantly higher in anti-TNFα-treated patients (€1085). No difference was found in IBDQ scores, but pouch patients were found to have higher quality-adjusted life years than ileostomy patients and anti-TNFα-treated patients (0.90 [interquartile range 0.78-1.00] versus 0.84 [0.78-1.00] and 0.84 [0.69-1.00], respectively; p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Patients receiving anti-TNFα therapy reported the highest healthcare cost, in which medication use was the major cost driver. Ileostomy patients were three times more expensive than pouch patients due to frequent hospitalization and ileostomy supplies.

Low Risk of Unemployment, Sick Leave, and Work Disability Among Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A 7-year Follow-up Study of a Danish Inception Cohort

BACKGROUND

To assess the occurrence and risk of unemployment (UE), sick leave (SL), and work disability (WD) in incident patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) after 7 years of follow-up compared with the background population and to determine outcome predictors.

METHODS

The study population consisted of patients aged 18 to 67 years (N = 379) from an IBD inception cohort registered January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2004 in the Copenhagen area. Clinical data were retrospectively collected from medical records. Data on UE, SL, and WD were retrieved from national registries. A random subset of the general population (n = 1435) were matched with IBD cases based on sex, age, and residency. The cumulative probabilities of UE, SL, and WD were calculated. A Cox proportional hazard regression was performed to identify possible outcome predictors.

RESULTS

There was no difference in UE rates between patients with IBD and controls (P = 0.23). The risk of SL was significantly increased in patients with IBD (hazard ratio 2.0; 95% confidence interval 1.7-2.4). Patients with IBD showed a higher risk of WD (hazard ratio 2.1; 95% confidence interval 1.2-3.8), particularly male patients older than 55 years. The rate of WD in CD (5.8%) was markedly lowered compared with previous studies. Within the IBD population, sex, educational level, disease behavior, smoking status, and surgery were predictors of UE, SL, and WD.

CONCLUSIONS

The observed increased risk of SL and WD in patients with IBD underscores the need for the early identification of risk factors. A multidisciplinary approach to secure IBD patients' participation in the labor market is recommended.

Silent Crohn's Disease: Asymptomatic Patients with Elevated C-reactive Protein Are at Risk for Subsequent Hospitalization

BACKGROUND

Patient-reported Crohn's disease (CD) symptoms and endoscopic evaluation have historically guided routine care, but the risk of complications in asymptomatic patients with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) is unknown.

METHODS

We conducted a prospective observational cohort study of patients with CD from a tertiary care center. Subjects with short inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire scores ≥ 50, Harvey-Bradshaw CD scores ≤ 4, and same-day CRP measurement were eligible for inclusion. The primary outcome was disease-related hospitalization up to 24 months after the qualifying clinic visit. We assessed the relationship between CRP elevation and subsequent hospitalization.

RESULTS

There were 351 asymptomatic patients with CD (median age 40 yr; 50.4% female) who met inclusion criteria, and CRP was elevated in 19.7% of these individuals (n = 69). At 24 months, 16.8% (n = 59) of the study population had been hospitalized for CD-related complications. Significantly, more patients with an elevated CRP were hospitalized (33.3% versus 12.8%, P < 0.0001) compared with those with a normal CRP and were hospitalized at increased rate (P < 0.001) on Kaplan-Meier analysis. CRP elevation was significantly and independently associated with increased risk of hospitalization (adjusted hazard ratio 2.12; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-3.98; P = 0.02) in multivariable survival analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Asymptomatic patients with CD with elevated CRP are at a nearly 2-fold higher risk for hospitalization over the subsequent 2 years compared with asymptomatic patients with CD without CRP elevation.

IBD-related work disability in the community: Prevalence, severity and predictive factors. A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Data on the prevalence of work disability in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are heterogeneous. As most studies have been performed in selected, often severe, IBD patients, the true prevalence of disability in the community remains controversial. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the prevalence and severity of disability and its predictive factors in a community-based IBD population.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients recorded in the community-based IBD register at the Hospital Universitario de Burgos were contacted. After informed consent they completed a set of questionnaires including demographic, clinical, disability and quality of life data. The statistical study was performed using SPSS 21.

RESULTS

A total of 293 patients were included - 151 Crohn's disease (CD), 142 ulcerative colitis (UC), 137 female, mean age: 45 ± 11 years, mean time since diagnosis: 10.6 ± 11 years. Twelve patients (4.1%) had a work-disability pension. In addition, 93 (32%) of all patients had an officially recognized disability degree, which was generally moderate (n = 73, 25%) or severe (N = 16, 5%). Age, time since IBD diagnosis, CD, perianal disease, incontinence, active disease, the need for anti-TNF or psychological treatment, previous surgeries and the number of diagnostic tests and medical visits in the previous year were predictors of disability. Major predictors of qualifying for a disability pension were age, IBD activity, incontinence, need for biological drugs and ostomy.

CONCLUSION

Mild to moderate work disability is frequent in IBD. However, only a minority of patients develop severe disability qualifying them for a pension.

High C-Reactive Protein Is Associated with Poor Sleep Quality Independent of Nocturnal Symptoms in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

BACKGROUND

Sleep disruption is common in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). However, studies demonstrating a similar prevalence in irritable bowel syndrome suggest that nighttime disruption due to diarrhea and abdominal pain may be key drivers of poor sleep quality. Whether inflammation is associated with poor sleep independently has not been examined previously.

METHODS

This single-center study included subjects with IBD recruited to an ongoing prospective registry who completed a questionnaire assessing sleep quality and mood. Inflammatory marker levels [C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate] and clinical disease activity including nighttime disruption on the day of enrollment were obtained from the medical record. Logistic regression models were used to identify predictors of sleep quality.

RESULTS

The study included 131 subjects (72 women) with a median age of IBD diagnosis of 25 years. Twenty-three subjects (19 %) had a high C-reactive protein level (≥8 mg/dL). Poor sleep was more common in those with high CRP levels than with normal values (70 vs. 39 %, p = 0.009). This association remained significant on multivariate analysis [Odds ratio (OR) 4.12, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.38-12.29]. Adjusting for the presence of nighttime disruption did not significant alter this association (OR 3.16, 95 % CI 1.01-9.90). High CRP correlated with poor sleep even in patients not experiencing nocturnal symptoms (n = 101, OR 4.89, 95 % CI 1.24-19.36).

CONCLUSION

High CRP is associated with poor sleep quality in IBD independent of the presence of nighttime disruptions, suggesting that a relationship exists between circulating inflammatory markers and sleep.

Disability in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Translation to Portuguese and Validation of the "Inflammatory Bowel Disease - Disability Score"

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has a physical, psychological and social impact, often compromising the patient's ability to perform daily activities. Recently a new measurement for disability in IBD was developed. The Inflammatory Bowel Disease-Disability Score (IBD-DS) comprises the following domains: mobility, self-care, major daily life activities, gastrointestinal-related problems, mental health and interaction with the environment. The aim of our study was to translate to Portuguese and to validate the IBD-DS.

METHODS

Eighty-five patients, 55 with Crohn's disease (CD) and 30 with ulcerative colitis (UC), completed the Portuguese version of the IBD-DS and the short inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire (SIBDQ-10 questions). Disease activity was assessed using the Harvey-Bradshaw (HB) for CD and partial Mayo score (pMayo) for UC. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to assess the correlation between the IBD-DS and SIBDQ. The Student's t-test was used to compare the mean of IBD-DS between active and inactive disease. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 21.0 and the statistical level of significance (α) was established at 5%.

RESULTS

In our study, a significant negative correlation between the IBD-DS and the SIBDQ was observed (r = -0.858, p < 0.001 for CD and r = -0.933, p < 0.001 for UC). There was a statistically significant difference of the mean of IBD-DS between inactive vs. active disease (93.78 vs. 117.57, p = 0.016 for CD and 78.96 vs. 137.14, p < 0.001 for UC).

CONCLUSION

The Portuguese version of the inflammatory bowel disease-disability score has a strong correlation with patients' quality of life and clinical disease activity and was shown to be a valid tool to measure disability in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Sick leave and disability pension in inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Inflammatory bowel disease has considerable effects on work-related outcomes and leads to high societal costs due to sick leave and disability pension. The aims of this study were to systematically review evidence on work-related outcomes that are relevant to productivity losses and to evaluate whether medical or surgical interventions have a positive impact on patients' work ability.

METHODS

A systematic literature search in PubMed was conducted in June 2013. Abstracts were screened by two independent reviewers, and full-text articles describing the frequency of work-related outcomes were retrieved. Two independent reviewers extracted data according to the PRISMA Statement for Reporting Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Findings were organized by study design (non-interventional/interventional). Non-interventional studies were structured according to whether they presented data in comparison to control groups or not and interventional studies were summarized according to type of intervention.

RESULTS

This review included 30 non-interventional (15 with comparison groups and 15 without comparison group) and 17 interventional studies (9 surgical and 8 medical). The majority of the studies reported a high burden of work-related outcomes among inflammatory bowel disease patients regardless of the methodology used. While biologic agents showed positive effect on work absenteeism and presenteeism in randomized clinical trials, the impact of surgical interventions needs further evaluation.

CONCLUSIONS

Inflammatory bowel disease patients experience a high burden in work-related outcomes. Additional data on productivity losses and the long-term impact of interventions is needed to help inform decision-makers about treatment options and their benefits in reducing productivity losses in inflammatory bowel disease patients.

Low prevalence of disability among patients with inflammatory bowel diseases a decade after diagnosis

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Disability is defined by chronic limitations that preclude the ability to engage in usual daily activities. Studies of disability in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have focused on work and employment, with few descriptions of more general disability among multiple domains. We examined disability and the factors associated with it a decade after diagnosis in a population-based cohort of IBD patients.

METHODS

We interviewed 125 patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and 119 with ulcerative colitis (UC) from the population-based Manitoba IBD Cohort study a median of 12.3 years after diagnosis. Disability was assessed by using 2 validated measures. Disease activity was assessed semiannually, and long-term activity was defined as symptoms of active IBD at more than 65% of semiannual assessments.

RESULTS

Mean levels of disability were significantly higher among patients with CD than those with UC (P < .01). On the basis of the Work and Social Adjustment Scale, rates of disability were 19% among patients with CD vs 11% among those with UC (P < .05). Results from the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule v.2 and the Work and Social Adjustment Scale correlated (r = 0.58 for patients with CD and 0.60 for those with UC; P < .01). Disability was associated with reduced quality of life. Long-term active disease and a lifetime history of major depression were associated with disability, whereas history of IBD-related surgeries or hospitalizations was not.

CONCLUSIONS

A minority of patients with IBD have significant disability after a decade of disease, although a higher proportion of patients with CD are disabled than those with UC. Long-term active disease and psychological factors are important predictors of disability. Depression should be treated as aggressively as the IBD itself.

Risk factors of work disability in patients with inflammatory bowel disease--a Dutch nationwide web-based survey: work disability in inflammatory bowel disease

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with high costs to society. Few data on the impact of IBD on work disability and potential predictive factors are available.

AIM

To assess the prevalence of and predictive factors for work disability in Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC).

METHODS

A web-based questionnaire was sent out in seven university hospitals and seven general hospitals in the Netherlands. Initially, 3050 adult IBD patients were included in this prospective, nationwide cohort study, whereof 2629 patients were within the working-age (18-64 years). We used the baseline questionnaire to assess the prevalence rates of work disability in CD and UC patients within working-age. Prevalence rates were compared with the Dutch background population using age- and sex-matched data obtained from Statistics Netherlands. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify independent demographic- and disease-specific risk factors for work disability.

RESULTS

In CD, 18.3% of patients was fully disabled and 8.8% partially disabled, compared to 9.5% and 5.4% in UC patients (p<0.01), respectively. Compared to Dutch controls, the prevalence was significantly higher, especially in CD patients. Higher age, low education, depression, chronic back pain, joint manifestations and typical disease-related risk factors such as penetrating disease course and surgery in the past were all found to be associated with work disability.

CONCLUSION

We report high work disability rates in a large sample of IBD patients in the Netherlands. CD patients suffer more frequently from work disability than UC patients. A combination of demographic and disease-related factors is predictive of work disability.

Quality of life in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: importance of clinical, demographic and psychosocial factors

CONTEXT

Inflammatory bowel disease causes physical and psychosocial consequences that can affect the health related quality of life.

OBJECTIVES

To analyze the relationship between clinical and sociodemographic factors and quality of life in inflammatory bowel disease patients.

METHODS

Ninety two patients with Crohn's disease and 58 with ulcerative colitis, filled in the inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire (IBDQ-32) and a questionnaire to collect sociodemographic and clinical data. The association between categorical variables and IBDQ-32 scores was determined using Student t test. Factors statistically significant in the univariate analysis were included in a multivariate regression model.

RESULTS

IBDQ-32 scores were significantly lower in female patients (P<0.001), patients with an individual perception of a lower co-workers support (P<0.001) and career fulfillment (P<0.001), patients requiring psychological support (P = 0.010) and pharmacological treatment for anxiety or depression (P = 0.002). A multivariate regression analysis identified as predictors of impaired HRQOL the female gender (P<0.001) and the perception of a lower co-workers support (P = 0.025) and career fulfillment (P = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The decrease in HRQQL was significantly related with female gender and personal perception of disease impact in success and social relations. These factors deserve a special attention, so timely measures can be implemented to improve the quality of life of patients.

Association between telephone activity and features of patients with inflammatory bowel disease

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Telephone communication is common between healthcare providers and patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We analyzed telephone activity at an IBD care center to identify disease and patient characteristics associated with high levels of telephone activity and determine if call volume could identify individuals at risk for future visits to the emergency department (ED) or hospitalization.

METHODS

We performed a prospective observational study in which we categorized telephone calls received by nursing staff over 2 years at a tertiary care IBD clinic (2475 patients in 2009 and 3118 in 2010). We analyzed data on 21,979 ingoing and outgoing calls in 2009 and 32,667 calls in 2010 and assessed associations between clinical factors and logged telephone encounters, and between patterns of telephone encounters and future visits to the ED or hospitalization.

RESULTS

Telephone encounters occurred twice as frequently as office visits; 15% of the patients generated >10 telephone encounters per year and were responsible for half of all telephone encounters. A higher percentage of these high telephone encounter (HTE) patients were female, had Crohn's disease, received steroid treatment, had increased levels of C-reactive protein and rates of erythrocyte sedimentation, had psychiatric comorbidities, and had chronic abdominal pain than patients with lower telephone encounters. The HTE patients were also more frequently seen in the ED or hospitalized over the same time period and in subsequent years. Forty-two percent of patients with >8 telephone encounters within 30 days were seen in the ED or hospitalized within the subsequent 12 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on an analysis of telephone records at an IBD clinic, 15% of patients account for half of all calls. These HTE patients are a heterogeneous group with refractory disease who are likely to visit the ED or be hospitalized.

Disease course and surgery rates in inflammatory bowel disease: a population-based, 7-year follow-up study in the era of immunomodulating therapy

OBJECTIVES

In this population-based 7-year follow-up of incident patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn's disease (CD), we aimed to describe disease progression and surgery rates in an era influenced by the increased use of immunosuppressants and the introduction of biological therapy.

METHODS

From 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2004, all incident cases (562) of patients diagnosed with UC, CD, or inflammatory bowel disease unclassified in a well-defined Copenhagen area were registered. Medical records were reviewed from 1 November 2011 to 30 November 2012, and clinical data were registered. Clinical data on surgery, cancer, and death were cross-checked with register data from national health administrative databases in order to include missed data.

RESULTS

In total, 513 patients (213 CD and 300 UC) entered the follow-up study. Twenty-six patients changed diagnosis during the follow-up. Changes in disease localization and behavior in CD according to the Vienna classification were observed in 23.9% and 15.0% of the patients, respectively, during follow-up. In total, 28.3% of the 300 UC patients had disease progression during the follow-up. The overall use of systemic steroids, immunomodulators, and anti-tumor necrosis factor agents in CD was 86.4%, 64.3%, and 23.5%, respectively. The rate of first-time intestinal resection in CD was 29.1% (n=62), and the 7-year cumulative risk was 28.5%. The cumulative risk of colectomy in UC was 12.5% at 7 years.

CONCLUSIONS

UC and CD are dynamic diseases that progress in extent and behavior over time. The resection rate in CD and the colectomy rate in UC are still relatively high, although the rates seem to have decreased compared with historic data, which could be due to an increase in the use of immunomodulating therapy.

Work disability and productivity loss in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases in Hungary in the era of biologics

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

To assess work disability (WD) rates in an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) cohort involving patients with Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) cohort and to identify possible clinical or demographic factors associated with WD. To our knowledge, this is the first study from Eastern Europe that has estimated indirect costs in IBD.

METHODS

Data from 443 (M/F: 202/241, CD/UC: 260/183, mean age: 35.5 (CD) and 40.5 (UC) years, biological drug exposure 31.2/11.5%) consecutive patients were included. WD data were collected by questionnaire and the work productivity and activity impairment instrument. Disability pension (DP) rates in the general population were retrieved from public databases.

RESULTS

The overall DP rate in this IBD population was 32.3%, with partial disability in 24.2%. Of all DP events, 88.8% were directly related to IBD. Overall, full DP was more prevalent in IBD (RR: 1.51, p < 0.001) and CD (RR: 1.74, p < 0.001) but not in UC compared to the general population and also in CD compared to UC (OR 1.57, p = 0.03). RR for full DP was increased only in young CD patients (RR<35 year olds: 9.4; RR36-40 year olds: 9.4 and 5.6, p < 0.01 for both). In CD, age group, previous surgery, disease duration, frequent relapses, and the presence of arthritis/arthralgia were associated with an increased risk for DP. Among employed patients, absenteeism and presenteeism was reported in of 25.9 and 60.3% patients, respectively, leading to a 28% loss of work productivity and a 32% activity loss, and was associated with disease activity and age group. Average cost of productivity loss due to disability and sick leave with a human capital approach was 1,450 and 430 €/patient/year in IBD, respectively (total productivity loss 1,880 €/patient/year), the costs of presenteeism were 2,605 (SD = 2,770) and 2,410 (SD = 2,970) €/patient/year in CD and UC, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Risk of DP was highly increased in young CD patients (sixfold to ninefold). Previous surgery and presence of arthritis/arthralgia was identified as risk factors for DP. Work productivity is significantly impaired in IBD and is associated with high productivity loss.

Determinants of health-related quality of life in Crohn's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Understanding the determinants of Crohn's disease (CD) patients' health-related quality of life (HRQOL) may facilitate interventions that improve HRQOL. Therefore, we systematically assessed determinants of HRQOL in adult CD patients.

METHODS

The databases PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, PsycINFO and CINAHL were searched for English abstracts, related to socio-demographic, psychological, clinical and treatment-related determinants of HRQOL in CD disease. Two independent reviewers extracted study characteristics and assessed the methodological quality according the criteria of Hayden et al. The main outcome was the number of studies showing a statistically significant association between the above-mentioned determinants and HRQOL. A meta-analysis was performed to quantify the relationship between disease activity and HRQOL.

RESULTS

Of the 2060 articles identified, 29 eligible studies were included. The majority of studies were cross-sectional and had a moderate to high quality. Data on psychological determinants were scarce. Work disability, increased disease activity, number of relapses, corticosteroid treatment and hospitalization rate were significantly associated with a lower HRQOL in the majority of included studies. Biological treatment positively influenced HRQOL. The pooled data on the association between disease activity and HRQOL resulted in a weighed mean correlation coefficient of -0.61 (CI -0.65 to -0.57).

CONCLUSIONS

HRQOL of adult CD patients is consistently determined by markers of active disease, including work disability, increased disease activity, number of relapses, biological treatment and hospitalization rate. As disease activity contributed to only 37% of HRQOL, there remains a need for additional, possibly modifiable, determinants. These determinants may refine possibilities to improve HRQOL.