Body Mass Index Profile of Adult Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease in a Multicenter Study in Northeastern Brazil

Purpose

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a disease of increasing prevalence in developing countries. Obesity has emerged as a potential risk for IBD; however, the data in the literature are conflicting, and relevant studies in Brazil are limited. Here, we report body mass index profile (BMI) of patients with IBD treated at reference centers in three states of northeastern Brazil.

Patients and Methods

Observational descriptive study conducted from January 2021 through December 2021 in patient with IBD.

Results

Of 470 patients with IBD, 194 (41%) were classified as normal weight, 42 (9%) as underweight, 155 (33%) as overweight, and 79 (17%) as obese; CD patients were significantly more likely to be underweight than UC patients (p=0.031)Overweight patients were older (median age: 47 years) than normal-weight and underweight patients at diagnosis (38.5 and 35.5 years, respectively [p<0.0001]). IBD onset and diagnosis among overweight and obese individuals were associated with older age. More extensive disease behavior patterns predominated in UC, while forms associated with complications were prevalent in CD, irrespective of nutritional status. There was a higher frequency of compatible symptoms with axial joint inflammation among obese patients (p=0.005) and a lower frequency of compatible symptoms with peripheral joint inflammation in underweight patients (p=0.044) than in patients of normal weight. No significant difference in the frequency of different drug or surgical treatments was observed among the groups.

Conclusion

Despite the predominance of overweight and obesity in patients with IBD, no differences in the patterns of disease were seen between the overweight and normal-weight groups; however, obesity was associated with IBD onset in older adults and a higher frequency compatible symptom with axial joint inflammation. These data reinforce the importance of monitoring the nutritional status of IBD patients and the need for a multidisciplinary approach, as recommended in the current guidelines.

A Multicentre Study of the Clinical and Epidemiological Profile of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Northeast Brazil

Purpose

Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) are inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) with multifactorial causes. They are becoming more prevalent in developing countries such as Brazil; however, relevant studies in poorer regions of the country are limited. Here, we report the clinical-epidemiological profile of patients with IBD treated at reference centers in three states of Northeast Brazil.

Patients and Methods

This was a prospective cohort study involving patients at referral outpatient clinics for IBD from January 2020 through December 2021.

Results

Of 571 patients with IBD, 355 (62%) had UC, and 216 (38%) had CD. The patients were predominantly women (355, 62%) for both UC and CD. Extensive colitis was the pattern present in 39% of the UC cases. For CD, ileocolonic disease was the predominant manifestation (38%), with 67% of cases showing penetrating and/or stenosing behavior. The majority of patients were diagnosed between the ages of 17 and 40, corresponding to 60.2% in CD and 52.7% in UC. The median time between symptom onset and diagnosis was 12 months for CD and 8 months for UC (p=0.042). Joint involvement was the most frequent extraintestinal manifestation, with arthralgia and arthritis present in 41.9% and 18.6% of the patients, respectively. Biological therapy was prescribed to 73% of CD patients and 26% of UC patients. A progressive increase in new cases was observed in every 5-year interval over the last five decades, with 58.6% being diagnosed in the last 10 years.

Conclusion

More extensive disease behavior patterns predominated in UC, while forms associated with complications were prevalent in CD. A prolonged time to diagnosis may have contributed to these findings. A progressive increase in IBD incidence was observed and may be related to greater urbanization and better access to specialized outpatient clinics, resulting in improvements in diagnosis.

Treatment of colitis by oral negatively charged nanostructured curcumin in rats

PURPOSE

To examine the effects of a negatively charged nanostructured curcumin microemulsion in experimental ulcerative colitis (UC) in rats.

METHODS

Four percent acetic acid was used to induce UC. The animals were treated for seven days and randomly assigned to four groups: normal control (NC), colitis/normal saline (COL/NS), colitis/curcumin (COL/CUR), and colitis/mesalazine (COL/MES). The nanostructured curcumin was formulated with a negative zeta potential (-16.70 ± 1.66 mV). Dosage of the pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin 1-β (IL-1β), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and antioxidant enzymes (catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase), macro and microscopic evaluation of the colon tissue were analyzed.

RESULTS

The COL/CUR group had a higher level of antioxidant enzymes compared to the COL/MESgroup. The levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 were significantly lower in the colonic tissue of the COL/CUR group rats, when compared to the COL/NS and COL/MES groups (p < 0.001). The presence of ulcers in the colonic mucosa in rats of the COL/NSgroup was significantly higher than in the COL/MES group (p < 0.001). In the NC and COL/CUR groups, there were no ulcers in the colonic mucosa.

CONCLUSIONS

The nanostructured microemulsion of curcumin, used orally, positively influenced the results of the treatment of UC in rats. The data also suggests that nanostructured curcumin with negative zeta potential is a promising phytopharmaceutical oral delivery system for UC therapy. Further research needs to be done to better understand the mechanisms of the negatively charged nanostructured curcumin microemulsion in UC therapy.