Asian Organization for Crohn's and Colitis and Asian Pacific Association of Gastroenterology consensus on tuberculosis infection in patients with inflammatory bowel disease receiving anti-tumor necrosis factor treatment. Part 1: Risk assessment

Risk of tuberculosis with anti-TNF therapy in Indian patients with inflammatory bowel disease despite negative screening

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS

Tuberculosis (TB) is a well-recognized adverse effect associated with using biological therapy to manage various autoimmune conditions. There is a dearth of information about the development of TB after using anti-TNF agents in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) from TB-endemic countries like India. This study aimed to estimate the risk of TB and its predictors after treatment with anti-TNF agents in patients with IBD.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The present study is a retrospective analysis of data of patients with IBD from two tertiary care centers in India receiving anti-TNF therapy. Patients who had undergone chest X-ray, high-resolution computed tomography of the chest, and tuberculin skin test, with a follow-up duration of at least 6 months, were included in the analysis.

RESULTS

In this multi-center study, 95 patients on anti-TNF agents for IBD (Median age of onset: 27 years, 62.1 % males) were followed up for a median duration of 9 (6-142) months. Among patients with IBD, 79 (83.2 %) had Crohn's disease, and 16 (16.8 %) had ulcerative colitis. Infliximab was the commonest biological, used in 82.1 % of cases, followed by adalimumab (17.9 %). On follow-up, 8.4 % (8/95) of the patients developed TB, among which the majority had extrapulmonary tuberculosis (5/8). On multivariate analysis, the duration of biological (Odds ratio: 1.047, 95 % confidence interval 1.020-1.075; p = 0.001) use was the only independent predictor of the development of TB with biologicals.

CONCLUSION

Among Indian patients with IBD, there is a high risk of TB with anti-TNF agents, which increases with the duration of therapy. The current methods for latent TB screening in Indians are ineffective, and predicting TB after initiating biological therapy is difficult.

The treatment of inflammatory bowel disease with monoclonal antibodies in Asia

Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), the two main forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), are chronic, systemic autoimmune diseases. As the incidence of IBD rapidly increases in Asia, increasing attention has been paid to developing additional treatment strategies. Presently, the end point of therapy is achieving clinical and endoscopic remission through the blockade of inflammatory cascades. Recent studies have shown that monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) use for precise molecular targeting of inflammatory pathways has a promising effect on IBD, especially moderate-to-severe CD and UC. Since the 1997 report on the use of infliximab (a monoclonal antibody against tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α]) in patients with CD, mAbs have expanded therapeutic options and have also complicated initial management options and subsequent treatment. This review comprehensively summarizes the clinical reports and studies related to the use of mAbs for the treatment of IBD in Asian countries and regions in recent years thus demonstrating the current status of mAbs use in Asia. In addition, the differences in the use of mAbs for the treatment of IBD between the Asia and the West are expounded. Ultimately, it is hoped that this review will provide new insights and a scientific basis for the clinical application of mAbs.

Management and monitoring of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease in the Asia-Pacific region: A position paper by the Asian Pan-Pacific Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (APPSPGHAN) PIBD Working Group: Surgical management, disease monitoring, and special considerations

Disease phenotype of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (PIBD) in children from the Asia-Pacific region differs from that of children from the West. Many parts of Asia are endemic for tuberculosis, making diagnosis and management of pediatric Crohn's disease a challenge. Current available guidelines, mainly from Europe and North America, may not be completely applicable to clinicians caring for children with PIBD in Asia due to differences in disease characteristics and regional resource constraints. This position paper is an initiative from the Asian Pan-Pacific Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (APPSPGHAN) that aims to provide an up-to-date, evidence-based approach to PIBD in the Asia-Pacific region. A group of pediatric gastroenterologists with a special interest in PIBD performed an extensive literature search covering epidemiology, disease characteristics and natural history, management, and monitoring. Attention was paid to publications from the region with special consideration to a resource-limited setting. This current position paper deals with surgical management, disease monitoring, immunization, bone health, and nutritional issues of PIBD in Asia. A special section on differentiating pediatric Crohn's disease from tuberculosis in children is included. This position paper provides a useful guide to clinicians in the surgical management, disease monitoring, and various health issues in children with IBD in Asia-Pacific region.

Stringent screening strategy significantly reduces reactivation rates of tuberculosis in patients with inflammatory bowel disease on anti-TNF therapy in tuberculosis endemic region

BACKGROUND

Anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapy use in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) leads to an increased risk of tuberculosis (TB) reactivation despite latent tuberculosis (LTB) screening, especially in TB endemic regions.

AIM

We evaluated the effect of stringent screening strategy and LTB prophylaxis on TB reactivation.

METHODS

We performed an ambispective comparison between patients who received anti-TNF therapy after January 2019 (late cohort) and between Jan 2005 and Jan 2019 (early cohort). Late cohort patients were subjected to stringent screening criteria which included all: history of past TB/recent contact with active TB, chest X-ray, CT (computed tomography) chest, IGRA (interferon-gamma release assay), TST (tuberculin skin test), and if any positive were given chemoprophylaxis. A cohort comparison was done to evaluate for risk reduction of TB following the stringent screening strategy.

RESULTS

One hundred seventy-one patients (63: ulcerative colitis/108: Crohn's disease, mean age diagnosis: 28.5 ± 13.4 years, 60% males, median follow-up duration after anti-TNF: 33 months [interquartile range: 23-57 months]) were included. Among the 112 in the early cohort, 29 (26%) underwent complete TB screening, 22 (19.6%) had LTB, 10 (9%) received chemoprophylaxis, and 19 (17%) developed TB. In comparison, in the late cohort, 100% of patients underwent complete TB screening, 26 (44%) had LTB, 23 (39%) received chemoprophylaxis, and only 1(1.7%) developed TB (p < 0.01). On survival analysis, patients in early cohort had a higher probability of TB reactivation compared with the late cohort (HR: 14.52 (95% CI: 1.90-110.61 [p = 0.01]) after adjusting for gender, age at anti-TNF initiation, concomitant immunosuppression, anti-TNF doses, and therapy escalation.

CONCLUSION

The high risk of TB reactivation with anti-TNF therapy in TB endemic regions can be significantly mitigated with stringent LTB screening and chemoprophylaxis.

A case of paradoxical response during anti-tuberculosis treatment in a patient with ulcerative colitis

Emerging anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α antibodies therapy changed treatment strategy to inflammatory bowel diseases because of the efficacy. However, TNF-α inhibitor can be associated with an increased risk of infectious complications, especially tuberculosis. A 71-year-old female with steroid-dependent ulcerative colitis (UC) was admitted due to relapse of UC with endoscopically severe active. Golimumab and adjunctive prednisolone started with 30 mg daily resulted in clinical remission. However, she had general fatigue and fever at the time of seventh injection of golimumab without abdominal symptoms. Based on positive interferon-gamma release assay, polymerase chain reaction positive for tuberculosis (TB) in pleural fluid, and chest computed tomography, she was diagnosed as tuberculous pleuritis. Standard anti-TB treatment (isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide) was started without cessation of golimumab, because cessation of TNF-α inhibitors during anti-TB treatment could cause the paradoxical response by skewing from regulatory to inflammatory immune responses. However, four weeks after initiation of anti-TB treatment, she got fever-up and pleural effusion increased. We then started prednisolone 30 mg daily as diagnosis of paradoxical response, resulting in improving the symptoms. This is a suggestive case of paradoxical response during anti-TB treatment despite continuous TNF-α inhibitors.

Current status of inflammatory bowel diseases in Korea

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a disease of unknown origin that causes chronic inflammation of the intestines and is classified as either ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. The incidence and prevalence of IBD in Korea have been rapidly increasing during the past three decades. This paper describes the current status of IBD in Korea.Current Concepts: Compared with western countries, genotypes and phenotypes of IBD in Korea demonstrate some distinct features, which may have an impact on the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of IBD. We continue to experience some difficulties in making early and accurate diagnoses of IBD in Korea due to a low awareness of the disease and the high prevalence of infectious enterocolitis, such as intestinal tuberculosis, which needs to be differentiated from IBD. The treatment of IBD can be influenced by differences in genetic, environmental, and social factors. NUDT15 variants limit the use of thiopurines. Infectious diseases, including tuberculosis, hepatitis B, and cytomegalovirus colitis, are usually more common in Asia than in western countries and can adversely influence the management of IBD. Biologic agents, which have changed the treatment paradigm of IBD, are equally efficacious in Asian patients as in Western patients. However, their use is limited due to a strict Korean government health insurance reimbursement policy. The prognosis of ulcerative colitis in Korea may be better than that in western countries, as indicated by a lower colectomy rate. However, this difference is less distinct in Crohn’s disease.Discussion and Conclusion: IBD in Korea differs from that in western countries in many respects. With rapid increase in the prevalence of IBD in Korea, medical costs for IBD are expected to become a significant financial burden. Koreans need to be prepared for this eventuality.

Recommendations of the Spanish Working Group on Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis (GETECCU) on screening and treatment of tuberculosis infection in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

There is evidence that following the recommendations on screening and treatment of tuberculosis infection does not completely prevent the onset of tuberculosis in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. This fact, and the increasing use of new biologics and immunomodulators, has led the Spanish Group Working on Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis to update their recommendations for the prevention of tuberculosis in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Diagnostic methods for latent tuberculosis infection, different scenarios in which screening is to be performed, strategies to reduce the risk of tuberculosis once biological treatment is initiated and chemoprophylaxis guidelines for latent tuberculosis infection are reviewed, as well as the management of active tuberculosis during biological treatment. Finally, there is a summary of the current recommendations within the paper and in an algorithm.

Risk of Tuberculosis in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease on Infliximab or Adalimumab Is Dependent on the Local Disease Burden of Tuberculosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVES

Infliximab (IFX) or adalimumab (ADA) use in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) leads to increased risk of tuberculosis (TB). This meta-analysis evaluated the factors which determine this risk, with special focus on local TB incidence.

METHODS

All studies until January 31, 2019, which reported the development of TB in patients with IBD on IFX/ADA, were included after searching PubMed and Embase. Data regarding disease type, number of patients on IFX/ADA, number of patients who developed TB, mean age at IFX/ADA initiation, median duration of development of TB, and latent TB (LTB) were extracted. The details on local TB incidence were obtained from the World Health Organization database, and the studies were stratified into low (<10/100,000), intermediate (10-40/100,000), and high TB burden countries (>40/100,000). Random effect meta-analysis was performed to calculate the overall pooled prevalence and prevalence based on local TB burden.

RESULTS

Of 130,114 patients (128 studies), 373 developed TB (pooled prevalence: 0.08% [95% confidence interval {CI}: 0.05%-0.10%]). The risk increased with increasing TB burden, pooled prevalence being 0.02% (95% CI: 0.02%-0.03%), 0.21% (95% CI: -0.02% to 0.43%), and 1.59% (95% CI: 1.19%-2.00%) for low, intermediate, and high TB burden countries, respectively. Seventy-three percent of patients who developed TB had no evidence of LTB on screening, the proportion being independent of TB burden. There was no effect of disease or treatment type, study type, gender, age at IFX/ADA initiation, and follow-up duration on TB prevalence.

DISCUSSION

TB risk in patients with IBD on IFX/ADA depends on the local TB burden and is independent of disease/treatment type.

Current clinical issue of skin lesions in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with a number of extraintestinal complications, including skin lesions. Most reports have shown that skin lesions are found in 10-15% of IBD cases, although this depends on the definition of skin lesions. The representative skin lesions in patients with IBD are erythema nodosum, pyoderma gangrenosum, Sweet's syndrome, and so on. These lesions are often associated with IBD progression, and intestinal lesions in particular require appropriate treatment. Recently, another clinical issue regarding skin lesions in patients with IBD, a so-called paradoxical reaction, during the treatment with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α agents has emerged. These reactions are termed paradoxical reactions because the skin lesions sometimes resemble psoriasis, although the anti-TNF-α agents have been historically used to treat psoriasis. Paradoxical reactions are reportedly found in approximately 5-10% of patients using anti-TNF-α agents and are no longer rare. Now that the use of biologics is at its culmination, reports regarding paradoxical reactions are predicted to increase in number; thus, we must recognize skin lesions with IBD patients including this type of adverse events and manage them appropriately while consulting with dermatologists.